Catch You On The FlipSide
by Ultrawoman
Summary: It’s all very clear Glory wants the Key, Spike wants Buffy, and all the Slayer wants is a quiet life! So when Buffy starts behaving rather differently, especially towards a certain bleached blond vampire, everybody is understandably concerned...
1. Prologue : Something Weird Is Going On

**A/N : I originally had this idea a long time ago but it was just a half a thought really and not a whole story. It is now developing in my brain and wit a bit of luck this plot will pan out! A good response to the Prologue will bring the first chapter much faster!**

**Title : Catch You On The Flip-Side**

**Rating : PG-13**

**Summary : It's all very clear; Glory wants the Key, Spike wants Buffy, and all the Slayer wants is a quiet life! So when Buffy starts behaving rather differently, especially towards a certain bleached blond vampire, everybody is understandably concerned...**

**Disclaimer : Characters belong to Joss Whedon and Mutant Enemy (Oh, how I wish Spike were mine...)**

Prologue - Something Weird Is Going On

Spike burst through the door of the Magic Box, stamping out a flaming blanket on the way. Buffy followed close behind, trying to help, but every single time her hands went anywhere near him he flinched away, almost as if he was trying to fend her off...

"Red!" Spike bellowed without even checking to see if Willow was in the room or not. As it turned out, she wasn't, but two other people were.

"Spike, what the hell do you want?" Xander snapped and he was surprised when Buffy made a face and waved an angry finger at him.

"Hey, don't yell at Spikey!" she scolded and the vampire shook his head in disbelief and annoyance at her sudden name for him. Xander was shocked but couldn't help but laugh.

"Did she just call you Spikey?" he spluttered.

"Yeah, what of it Whelp?" 'Spikey' looked even more annoyed by the humans comment than the Slayers words.

"He's my little Spikey-wikey" Buffy continued, grabbing the vamps arm and grinning, as she gazed up at him, "I love him very much"

Xander walked forward with Anya at his side, disbelief on both their faces until the brunette snapped his fingers and the metaphorical light bulb appeared.

"I got it, it's that gross robot!" he announced, "How did you...?"

"It's not the bloody bot!" Spike interrupted, desperately trying to untangle himself from the very persistent Slayer.

It was true, he loved her, but he didn't want her like this. She wasn't herself, despite the fact that she looked like Buffy and sounded more or less like her, it wasn't his Slayer at his side. Just like the bot, it wasn't enough. If he was going to have Buffy he wanted all of her, no half measures and this wasn't her, hence the fact he was here...

"Look, this is not the bot" Spike repeated, "She's the real deal, but there's something up with her"

"Obviously" Xander snorted, moving closer to his old friend, "Hey Buffster, you feeling okay?"

"Yeah, Buffy" Anya wanted to play too, this game looked like fun, "Why are you hanging all over Spike?"

"I told you" Buffy rolled her eyes in annoyance, "I love Spike and I'm feeling fine" she smiled widely, "Although I'd feel a lot better if me and Spike were alone and..."

"You want to have sex with Spike?" Anya asked, not at all in a shocked or embarrassed way, but in a perfectly normal tone of voice, as was her way.

"Of course" Buffy nodded, suddenly making a grab at the vamp again, "I love him very much"

"Pet, please..." Spike almost whined as he tried to prise the girl off his body.

In normal circumstances he would have killed to have Buffy behave like this around him, but it bothered him that she was so different. He liked to be in control and with her behaving like this, it just unsettled him.

"Come on Bleach Boy, admit it" Xander got in Spike's face, "What did you do to her?"

"I. did. nothing." Spike emphasised every word, but the human still looked unconvinced, "I swear" the vampire protested, "Vampire's honour"

"Vampires don't have honour!" the boy bit back, and Spike couldn't be bothered to continue the argument. He wanted Buffy fixed and soon, as she continually grabbed at him, without restraint.

"I don't have time for this" he complained, "Where are the Wiccans?"

"You think Willow and Tara did something to Buffy to make her want you?" Xander laughed at the ridiculous idea, "Why would they do that?"

Spike sighed and Anya lost interest and went back to counting her money.

"How the bleedin' hell should I know?" the vampire complained, "All I know is that the Slayer's been mojo-ed and it wants fixing!"

"Hey guys" called Willow as she entered the shop with Tara at her side.

"About bloody time," Spike immediately snapped "What have you done to her?" he gestured to Buffy who seemed desperate to get her tongue in his ear.

"B-buffy?" Tara asked uncertainly as she and her girlfriend came closer toward their friends and the vampire "W-we didn't d-do anything" she assured him.

"Is she okay?" Willow asked despite the fact it was obvious something was wrong from the way the Slayer clawed at the clothes of a guy she usually hated.

"Hey Willow, Tara" said Slayer sing-songed as she finally noticed them in the room. Spike was only too pleased that she'd stepped away from him for two seconds

"I'm fine" Buffy assured her friends "cos Spike's here and as long as we're together I'm the happiest girl in the world"

"You a-and S-spike?" Tara forced out the words, blinking hard as if her head hurt from the concept.

"Yeah, we're in love" Buffy exclaimed with a nod and a bright smile as she flung herself into Spike's unsuspecting arms and hugged him tight.

Willow looked equal parts surprised and worried as she shared a look with her girlfriend.

"Oh boy"

_**To Be Continued...  
**_


	2. Chapter 1 : Two Sides of the Story

**A/N : Wow, great response to the Prologue. Let's see what happens when you read chapter one...  
**_**(For disclaimer, etc. - see Prologue)**_

Chapter 1 - Two Sides of the Story

"Buffy can you come sit down and talk to me for a while?" Willow asked her friend, taking hold of the Slayers arm and gently pulling her towards the table across the room.

"Sure" the blonde nodded, taking hold of Spike's hand and dragging him behind her as she moved across the room with Willow. He tripped as she pulled on his hand almost completely falling on the floor.

"Er, how about Spike stays over here with Xander and Tara" the red-head suggested, "I kind of wanted to talk to you alone"

Buffy's expression was somewhere between annoyed and defeated as she sighed and agreed to the plan, finally ceasing contact with the vampire and following her friend over to the table.

"Buffy" Willow looked worriedly at her friend, who sat across the table from her now, "Er, do you know what your full name is?" she frowned realising it sounded like a weird question but it was important to make sure the Slayer hadn't got brain damage or something, after all why else would she say she loved Spike!

"Willow, don't be silly" the blonde giggled, "My name is Buffy Anne Summers and I live at 1630 Revello Drive" she watched her friends expression but it didn't change so she sighed and continued, "You are Willow Rosenburg, my friend, and that's Alexander Lavelle Harris, another friend. My boyfriend's name is Spike and we've been dating for almost two years now..."

"Okay, okay" Willow held up her hands to silence Buffy, she'd finally got to some information that might be useful, "You've been dating Spike for two years?" she checked she'd heard her friend correctly.

"Sure" the Slayer nodded looking at Willow like she was the crazy one, "Well, not quite, our second anniversary of dating is coming up real soon though" she looked quite excited as she rattled on about her wonderful relationship with her wonderful man, as she gazed adoringly at him from across the store.

"Oh bloody hell" Spike sighed, shaking his head as Buffy grinned and stared at him and gave a little wave when she saw him looking back at her. With a forced smile on his face he waved back and then rolled his eyes as he turned back to Xander and Tara.

"This is too soddin' weird" he complained and Tara nodded in agreement.

"M-maybe it would help if you told us exactly what h-happened" the witch suggested and with a nod, Spike agreed and began to recount what had happened just a little while ago at his crypt...

- - Flashback - -

"Hey Spike" Buffy smiled as she entered the vampire's crypt. Spike was seated on the end of a stone casket reading a book which he quickly put to one side.

"Slayer" he greeted her pleasantly, always pleased to see her, "What can I do for you?" he asked as she came closer.

"Nothing more than you're already doing for me" she smiled in a mischievous and almost sexy way and Spike was slightly surprised by not only her words but the fact she was still coming towards him, swinging her hips as she walked and bearing no weapons at all, for a change.

"What...?" he began but was too shocked to continue as Buffy positioned herself right in front of him, leaning forward so her face was inches from his, her hands resting on the stone of the casket to support her, she seemed completely unaware he had one leg either side of her hands, or did she know what she was doing after all?

"Did I mention how hot you look today?" she said softly, leaning in closer and making Spike lean back, suddenly very intimidated though he'd never admit it.

"Me? Hot?" he frowned like he didn't understand how the two words ended up in the same sentence, truth being he truly didn't understand why Buffy would be saying this to him...

"Sure" she smiled dangerously and sexily "Very, very sexy" she practically purred right by his ear and he inadvertently shivered because of it.

"Oh, okay" he nodded as a smirk spread over his face "I get it" he said confidently, managing to slip away from her as she moved slightly "It's the bot. What'd they fix you for?" he asked as he stood behind her, watching 'it' with a smile on his face until she turned around giggling like a mad woman.

"Don't be silly Spikey" she mock scolded, coming at him again "it's the real me!" she spread her arms and did a little twirl before making her way towards him again "You can't tell?" she pouted, almost offended.

"I... Buffy..." he stumbled on his words as she back him up against the wall with her hands on his chest. He breathed unnecessarily and realised she really was human, not robot in origin, but if this really was Buffy... "You are acting very weird" he told her and she just smiled as she tilted her head at him.

"Am I?" she asked, but didn't wait for an answer "Can I tell you something?" again she asked a question that didn't really require a response, "I don't like that shirt" she shook her head as a frown creased her brow for a second.

Spike glanced down at the offending article of clothing.

"So?" he quirked an eyebrow and wondered where she was going with this now

"So..." she drew out running her hands up his chest, before suddenly grabbing the fabric that covered him and tearing it open.

"Slayer! What the bloody hell are you on?" Spike gasped as the buttons of his shirt shot off in two opposite directions. He was seriously starting to wonder about Buffy's sanity now, perhaps all the stress of fighting Glory had finally made her snap!

"Oh, did I make Spikey mad?" she said, pouting like a naughty child who'd been caught with her hand in the cookie jar, in reality her hands were quite ready to venture in to much more inappropriate places, "You still love me don't you?" she asked, looking so genuinely worried that he didn't.

"Buffy" Spike sighed, really not sure whether it was best to lie or tell the truth at this point for fear of being hit or worse staked for the sake of the wrong reply, "You know how I feel about you... I love you" he said carefully, uncertain as to whether the smile that spread across her face was to be taken as a good or bad sign.

"Good" Buffy grinned, as if she'd read his thoughts, "because I love you so much"

She moved to hug him but Spike's hands went to her shoulders holding her at arms length.

"You what?" he frowned, not understanding, he would think he was dreaming except this was far too real to be his subconscious, "If this is a wind up, Slayer, I'm not laughing" he told her, anger creeping into his tone by now. Buffy was unfazed.

"Spike" she said, putting her hand on his on her shoulders and pushing her body in closer to his, "There is something so strong between us" she whispered, as she encouraged his arms around her and put her face so close to his, "I love you" she said, kissing his cheek, "I want you" she went on, kissing his other cheek before looking up into his eyes, lips just a fraction away from his own, "Take me Spike, please, right here, right now" she begged of him, pressing her body close to his and kissing him with a passion.

"No" he said, using every ounce of willpower he had to push her off, "This is some kind of trick, I, oh God, Slayer" he groaned when her lips attacked his neck and her hands found new and interesting places to roam, "Please, Buffy, listen to me" he begged of her, slowly losing the battle in his head. God, the things she could make him feel, if she kept this up for too long he was going to do something she'd stake him for in the morning! Though in some ways, he was starting to wonder if it wouldn't be worth the risk.

"Buffy, did Willow put a spell on you?" he checked, when the brain north of his belt actually started functioning again. He held the Slayer away from him once again, his arms locked tight as he desperately hoped he might be able to keep her away, though even at this distance it didn't stop him wanting her.

"A spell?" Buffy frowned a little as she stared at him. Here she was, willing to give herself to him, and he was talking about Willow and the magicks. It didn't make sense.

"Yeah, y'know, a spell" Spike tried again, "Like the one that made us think we were engaged?"

Buffy's frown deepened at that and she shook her head.

"I don't remember that..." she admitted, her smile soon returning, "but we don't need magic Spike, cos we're really in love and we could get engaged for real, if you want to, because I love you" she enthused, trying to get close to Spike once again. His hands slid from her shoulders and he slid his back along the wall before circling around her, out of the way of her 'attack' as it were.

"Will you stop saying that!" he urged her, as he tried to control himself and ascertain why Buffy didn't appear to be able to do the same for herself, "It's not real, Buffy, I'm not buying it!"

"You want me to prove how much I love you?" she asked, not waiting for his reply as she kicked off her shoes and pulled at her clothes as she advanced on him again.

"I... Buffy, stop!" he ordered her, closing his eyes. He knew if he saw what she seemed fully prepared to show him his resolve would completely fail him.

"I thought you wanted me?" he heard her say and opened an eye to see her hands had stilled on the third button of her shirt as her lip trembled "I thought you loved me?" she choked out.

"I do" Spike sighed "You know that, I love you more than unlife itself"

"Then why don't you want me?" she asked sadly and Spike wasn't sure he had a reasonable answer.

"I do want you" he said honestly "Buffy, God knows if this were real..." he shook his head, because he knew just how fake all this truly was, "but it's not real, I know it can't be, because this isn't you" he admitted with a sad look.

This was like one of his many Slayer fantasies come true but he knew only too well it couldn't be real. Somehow this wasn't Buffy and there was no way he could take advantage of her, he loved her too much.

"Well I look like me" Buffy tried to convince him "and I sound like me and I feel like me..." she smiled as she proved her point, pressing her body against his, summoning all of his determination, Spike pushed her away once again, clasping her hand in his.

"But you're not" he said too loudly.

"Don't yell at me, please" the girl who appeared in every way but one to be Buffy looked as if she may cry at any moment "I just want to make you happy" she swallowed hard as a tear ran down both her cheeks.

"Oh come on now" Spike looked pained as he saw her really crying now, "No more tears, you know I hate that" he said, daring to move toward her and put his arms around her, hugging her close and tight. He was glad when she hugged back but kept her hands still. Whatever had happened to her, however much all this had to be a spell or some such mojo, the feeling of her willingly in his embrace was thrilling, but he had to find out what was wrong with her and fix it.

"Hey, y'know what'd make me happy?" he asked her and she brought her head up from his shoulder, the bright smile back on her face.

"Name it"

"Let's go visit your mates at the Magic shop" he suggested, at which Buffy frowned slightly.

"You wanna hang out with my friends?" she questioned, completely confused.

"Never thought I'd say it" Spike shook his head "but, yeah" he shrugged as he reached for his coat and pulled it on.

"Well, if that will make Spikey happy, let's go" Buffy grinned, reaching for his hand. He let her take his fingers in hers as they headed for the sewer tunnels he used to love around town whilst it was daylight. With any luck, they'd get to the Magic Box and find that the Scoobies knew what was going on, because Spike sure as hell didn't.

- - End Flashback - -

"And that's when we came here" Spike concluded, "I swear to God, I have no idea what's going on but that is not Buffy, not really" he insisted and Tara did believe him, even Xander was starting to come around to the idea that the vamp might be speaking the truth. He did seemed genuinely spooked by Buffy's weird behaviour. Only problem now was, what did they do about it?

_To Be Continued..._


	3. Chapter 2 : Who Are You?

**A/N : Wow, so many reviews! So glad I decided to write and post this fic! Hopefully it'll hold the interest of all you reviewer-types for a while longer!  
**_**(For disclaimer, etc. - see chapter 1)**_

Chapter 2 - Who Are You?

Willow was at a loss to know what to say to Buffy as the Slayer stared adoringly across the shop at Spike. This was beyond insane. Somehow her best friend had got it into her head that she was not only in love with the bleached blond vampire that she usually pretty much hated, but she also thought she'd been dating him for two years!

"Two years" she said to herself as she tried to work out what had been occurring at that time. It was their final year of High School, and as far as Willow knew Spike wasn't even in town, all except for that one night when he'd come back to Sunnydale and kidnapped both Willow and Xander so she could perform a love spell for him.

"Oh God, a love spell" she gasped suddenly.

"A what say huh?" Buffy asked, apparently snapping out of her Spike induced daze for a brief moment, "Who's under a love spell?"

"Um, I'm not sure yet" the red-head shook her head, knowing how violent and out of control people under such a spell could become. The last thing she wanted to do was anger the Slayer who believed she really was completely in love with Spike, and that he felt the same.

"Are we done talking?" Buffy checked with her friend, "Because I really want to take Spike home now and have him ravish me"

"Oh, bad, bad mental image" Xander exclaimed, wishing he hadn't chosen that precise moment to come over and talk to his friends, "Does anybody have some kind of disinfectant I can clean out my brain with after that statement?" he asked the room in general.

"Be easy enough" Spike said with a look, "Pour bleach in one ear it'd run straight through and out the other - not like there'd be any resistance"

"Hey!" Xander yelled, pointing a finger at Spike and looking like he might take a swing at the vamp, "Just remember who has the anti-violence chip around here, Evil Dead!" he said threateningly, only to have Buffy scramble to her feet and get all up in his face.

"Xander, play nice" she ordered him, "Spike is my boyfriend and you can't say things like that to him" she said, swallowing hard as tears glistened in her eyes, "I can't have friends who insult my lover like that"

"Your lover?" he said, looking green, "Oh God, Buff, please, for the sake of my sanity, snap out of it"

With a trembling bottom lip, the Slayer ran to Spike, throwing herself into his arms before he could do anything to stop her.

"I'm so sorry, Spike" she told him, voice muffled by the fact her face was buried in his shirt, "but it doesn't matter what Xander or anybody else thinks, I'll always love you" she said solemnly as she looked up at him, eyes all big and bright and innocent.

"I know, luv" he agreed, knowing it was all utter crap but hating to see the pained look on her face a moment longer. Whatever had induced her to think she loved him, that would wear off soon, he assumed, but his love for her was as real as any love could be. If she was in pain so was he, and he'd do anything he could to make her happy, even if it was torture to be this close to her and have her act this way, knowing it was all a lie that would probably end too soon.

"Can we leave now?" she said hopefully, arms tight around him as he awkwardly hugged her back, "I wanna be alone with you"

"Er, probably not the best idea, pet" Spike said, attempting to get away from her a little, but her grip held fast and the last thing he wanted to do was hurt her, "Why don't we just stay here with your mates a while longer" he suggested, hardly believing himself that these words were coming out of his mouth. Though he loved the Slayer and even cared for the Bit to an extent, the rest of the Scooby gang either bugged the hell out of him or bored him to tears as a general rule. Now he was volunteering to spend time with them when the second option was being alone with the Slayer. Spike was genuinely beginning to wonder if it was Buffy who was acting weird as he'd originally thought or if in fact it was he himself who had gone crazy.

"Hey guys!" a cheerful voice accompanied the sound of the front door opening and closing and the jingle of the bell above it, "What's the... oh my God!" Dawns question turned into a gasp of surprise as she stopped walking too soon and caused Giles, who had picked her up from school, to go crashing into her back.

"Good heavens, Buffy, what are you doing!" Giles asked her with a frown, removing his glasses and polishing them, before replacing them on his nose, all the time hoping against hope that it was just an issue with some dirt on his glasses that had caused him think he'd seen the ungodly sight of Buffy in Spike's embrace.

"Um, hugging my boyfriend?" the Slayer said, giving her Watcher an odd look, "Who are you?" she asked next, much to everyone's surprise.

"Buffy, luv, that's Giles, your Watcher" Spike told her, "You do remember?" he frowned when she still looked blank.

"Are you okay?" she asked suddenly, feeling his forehead with the back of hand, "Can vampires get fevers and hallucinations?" she said as she turned to Willow for an answer.

"Buffy, Spike's not the one acting weird here" the red-head told her.

"Makes a refreshing change, I know, but it's true" Xander chimed on, though he was quick to hide behind Anya when the Slayer gave him a not-so-happy look at that comment.

"What's going on?" Dawn wanted to know, glancing at the Scoobies, hoping that one would offer some kind of explanation for the weird behaviour of her sister.

"Buffy thinks she's in love with Spike" Anya piped up when nobody else seemed willing to give a reply, "Everyone thinks she's either gone crazy or had a spell put on her. I myself can't see their problem, Spike is a very attractive man, for a vampire" she grinned, earning herself a grateful look from the bleached blond at least. Xander looked less than impressed but was not given the chance to say anything as Buffy spoke.

"Look, guys, I dunno why you're having such a hard time with this" she sighed, "but maybe we can talk about it later, when there aren't strangers listening" she said, tipping her head to gesture to Giles and Dawn.

"There are no strangers, Buff" Xander told her with the same kind of one might use when talking to a retard of some kind, "Giles is your Watcher, Dawnie is your sister"

That got a laugh out of the Slayer, who only now let go of Spike's she turned to her friends.

"Is this some kind of trick? Is Ashton Kutcher here or something?" she asked with a look, "Because I so don't get it"

"Buffy" Tara caught her attention, although only just, since her voice was so quiet, "W-what do you think is hap-happening?" she asked and the Slayer frowned as she turned a full circle, looking in turn at each person in the room.

"I think you guys maybe did a bunch of drugs whilst I was visiting Spike at his crypt?" she suggested, "I mean, first you act like you didn't know me and Spike were a couple, and now you're telling me I have a new Watcher and a kid sister? Cos that's just crazy" she said, laughing slightly at how absurd the situation was but at the same time, looking a little concerned for her friends who were acting so weird.

"Buffy, are you sure _you_ didn't do drugs?" Dawn asked her, "Cos you're acting kinda strange"

"I'm sorry, what is your name?" the Slayer asked the teen who looked half-scared, half like she would burst into tears at any moment.

"I'm Dawn, your sister" she said, voicing shaking a little, "You remember?"

"I already told you, I don't have a sister" Buffy shook her head, "Geez, where did you hire this kid from, because she is not a good actress" the Slayer rolled her eyes, still convinced this whole situation was a joke.

"Buffy, pet, she _is_ your sister" Spike told her, assuming that at this point he had as good a chance as any of getting through to the girl, after all she seemed to like him a lot today, for whatever reason.

"They got you in on this joke too now?" Buffy frowned, "Cos y'know, it's not all that funny from here" she said, arms folded across her chest in a defensive manner as she backed up towards the door.

Nobody really knew what to say to her. If she was backing away from Spike who less than ten minutes ago she was claiming to be in love with, the rest of them didn't stand a chance of getting through to her, least of all Giles or Dawn whom she claimed not to even remember.

"Buffy, sweetie, this isn't a joke" Willow tried to explain, "We want to help you"

"Help me, what?" she checked, "I don't understand! And I don't like the way you're all staring at me!" she cried, "Just leave me alone!" she yelled finally as she yanked open the door and ran out into the street. Spike called after her but was unable to follow due to the fact the sun was still high in the sky.

"What the hell is going on today!" Xander asked, overly loudly, making the others jump.

"Should we go after her?" Willow checked, looking worriedly to her girlfriend, who shook her head saying she didn't know as she wrapped an arm around her shoulders in comfort.

"Could someone please explain to me what is going on?" Giles asked, loud enough to be heard over the general chatter that had started up.

"S'pose we ought to start from the top for old Watcher Boy's sake then" Spike sighed, walking over to the research table and sitting down on a chair there with a thump, "Nothin' else I can do til sundown at least"

"Oh God" Xander groaned, "If Spike is gonna tell the sexy story again, somebody shoot me now, cos I just can't stand it!"

"There's a sexy story?" Dawn frowned, "I am so confused right now" she admitted as she came over at sat own on the seat next to Spike.

"Could I suggest that someone, preferably not Spike" Giles said pointedly as the whole group gathered around the research table, "explains to me exactly what is going on and why Buffy does not appear to know myself or in fact her sister?"

"I'll explain as much as I can" Willow volunteered, "but it's all a little weird..."

_To Be Continued...  
_


	4. Chapter 3 : Location, Location, Location

**A/N : You think you're confused now? Wait til you've read this latest chapter!  
**_**(For disclaimer, etc. - see chapter 1)**_

Chapter 3 - Location, Location, Location

"...so now I'm thinking the love spell idea is kinda not exactly right" Willow completed her narrative and gave her ideas as to why these events were occurring, "but I don't know what else to think"  
"It is very strange indeed" Giles said thoughtfully, as he polished his glasses once again.

"Totally strange!" Xander chimed in, "And not of the good" he pointed out, as if it were not already obvious.

"She has no idea who I am" Dawn said sadly, staring down at the table. Spike put a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"Don't fret, Little Bit" he told her, "It'll be alright"

"Yes, I'm sure it shall" Giles offered some comfort to the girl too, though he was forced to admit to himself at least that he was very worried about his Slayer, "I suggest that someone should perhaps warn Joyce about Buffy's... well, condition, before any more confusion occurs"

"I'll call her" Willow offered, getting up from her seat and going over to the phone behind the Magic Box counter.

"So, Giles" Xander said, looking to the older man, "Got any theories? Any books on weird Slayer behaviour we might find some theories in?" he checked.

"Well, there are several possible explanations" the Watcher considered as he removed his glasses and dangled them from his fingers as he paced a little, "We must of course first decide whether the person here was indeed the Buffy that we know"

"It's her" Spike chimed in, "Know by the scent. No two people are exactly the same, and I know Buffy better than most. That's her, there's just something wrong with her, a spell maybe or a curse?"

"Indeed it might be either of those" Giles nodded, "Or perhaps a similar situation to that which Xander found himself in when Toth paid us a visit"

"You mean there are two Buffies now?" Anya frowned, "Well, that's just unsettling, and also just completely copying my Xander" she said firmly, getting hold of her boyfriends arm.

"Ahn, I don't think Buffy got split in two on purpose" he told her.

"I-If there are two of her at all" Tara reminded them, "It might just be a spell or... something" she shrugged her shoulders, realising she had no other theories and that everyone was now looking at her as if they expected one.

"I warned Joyce" Willow said as she came back over to the table and took her place at the table once again, "She asked what was wrong, and didn't sound too happy when I said we had no idea"

"We are of course assuming that Buffy has run to Revello Drive" Giles said thoughtfully, "If she knows neither myself nor Dawn there is nothing to say she remembers her mother or indeed where her home is"

"I should have gone after her" Willow said with a shake of her head.

"It's okay, Will" the brunette beside her told her kindly, "Buffy remembers how to be the Slayer at least. She can't come to any harm, right?"

"Oh she knows who she is" Spike agreed, "Just seems to reckon I'm her other half, and that half her mates are strangers"

"What are we going to do?" Dawn asked the vampire beside her, "I mean, Buffy's gone, nobody knows where, she doesn't know me or Giles, and with Glory coming..."

"It'll be alright, pet, I promise you" Spike assured her, "Stupid Glory bint's not going to lay a hand on you, and we'll have your sister back to normal before you know it, right Watcher?" he said, sending a look in Giles' direction.

"Oh, yes, of course" he forced a smile at Dawn as his mind whirred through possible reasons for the change in Buffy, "Tara, Anya, I wonder if the two of you might look amongst the books for anything related to spells or other things that may cause partial memory loss and, er, possible infatuations" he asked them and the two girls immediately did as they were asked, "Xander, perhaps you might walk Dawn home, I'm sure her mother would feel better to have her there at the moment"

"But I wanted to help" the young teen whined until Spike agreed with Giles and told her she'd probably be better off at home.

"Your Mum doesn't need the extra stress of not knowing what's happening to you as well as your sister, Sweet Bit" he reminded her, "'S not good for her to get so worked up so soon after all the illness and what not"

"I guess" Dawn sighed as she picked up her bag and followed Xander out of the door.

"And what do you have planned for us to do then, Rupert?" Spike checked, glancing between the Watcher and the witch two seats over to his left.

"I'm not certain that you will be any help at all, Spike" Giles told him plainly, "but my idea for Willow was that perhaps she might perform a locator spell" he said as he turned to the red-head, "I think our first concern is to find where Buffy might've gone"

"Sure" Willow nodded, "Only it'd help if I had something of hers..." she said as she checked her jewellery and found it was all her own, she hadn't borrowed such things from Buffy since they shared a room at college last year.

"Er, I could help you out there" Spike said, looking slightly sheepish as he reached in one of the large inside pockets of his coat and pulled out a crumpled piece of fabric that was soon revealed to be a small handkerchief style top that belong to the Slayer.

"Huh" was all Willow could think to say as the top was handed to her and she eyed it suspiciously.

"How on Earth...?" Giles began before shaking his head, "No, do not tell me where you got it or how, I do not wish to know" he sighed as he replaced his glasses and turned to Willow. Spike was sure he'd be much more pissed off had he admitted to the other items he had stolen from Buffy's room before now, including the pair of panties in his back pocket that he was certainly not going to present to the class!

"Willow, can you now perform the spell?" the Watcher checked and the witch nodded as she got up from her seat and went about finding the book she needed as well as all the necessary ingredients from the shelves.

"I'm sure you're enjoying this immensely" Giles said, somewhat menacingly as he leaned across the table at Spike, who only smirked annoyingly in response, "but let me be quite clear, if you take advantage of Buffy in any way whilst she is in this state, I will personally see that you suffer terribly and then cease to exist"

"Careful, Ripper" Spike smirked, "Almost lettin' the respectable Watcher persona slip there, and in front of he kiddies too" he tutted as Willow returned to the table and glanced warily between two men before setting up what she needed for her spell.

Anya and Tara soon returned to the table, piling up books on one side as Willow spread out a map on the other and picked up Buffy's top that Spike had apparently stolen previously.

"Okay, here we go" she said, closing her eyes and muttering a few foreign words as the others looked on. A moment later she put down the item of clothing belonging to the Slayer and sprinkled a handful of what appeared to be herbs onto the map.

"Oh" she frowned as she opened her eyes and looked down.

"Oh? What do you mean by oh?" Spike checked.

"Did it not work?" Anya checked, "Did a spell you performed with stolen ingredients turn out wrong again?"

Willow rolled her eyes at the ex-demons comment before looking up at Tara.

"I don't understand why that didn't work" she said, glancing back at the map and then up again.

"W-want me to try it sweetie?" her girlfriend offered, and following a nod from her girlfriend she moved around the table, clearing the sprinkled substance off the map and setting up to begin the spell again.

A few minutes later when the second witch opened her eyes and looked at the map her response was the same as her lover's had been.

"Oh" she frowned, "I-I don't understand"

"What? You both lost your ability to mojo up a simple locator spell?" Spike checked, not understanding what the big problem was here.

"No, it should've worked" Willow shook her head, "We've done this spell so many times, and there's no way Buffy could have gotten out of Sunnydale so fast. She has to be around here somewhere"

"Or perhaps not" Giles suggested, "Perhaps Spike is mistaken and the Buffy who was here is in fact not our Buffy at all"

"It's her, Watcher" Spike said firmly, not at all pleased at having his nasal integrity questioned, "I'm a hundred percent on that. Maybe the spell just doesn't work cos there's two of her or some such?" Giles gave him a look and Spike sighed, "Look I don't know what's bloody going on any more than you do" he reminded him, "But I do soddin' know that the Slayer is at least physically herself"

"Two of them" Willow said suddenly, "Oh my God, Giles, there were two of me too!"

"What's that about?" Spike frowned as he looked around the group, and only Tara seemed quite as confused as he himself did.

"Oh yes, two of Willow" Anya recalled, "One was a vampire from another dimension that was created when Cordelia Chase made that wish that Buffy never came to Sunnydale!"

"Ah, yes, of course" Giles snapped his fingers as he realised the girls could be onto something, "Buffy would appear the same, even in her scent I should imagine, but she would have a completely different attitude towards the people and things around her, should she be an alternate version of herself from another dimension"

"Wait a second" Spike shook his head, "You're tellin' me the Slayer is her but not from this dimension?"

"Yes, exactly" Giles nodded, "There are well supported theories that there is an infinite number of realities where all possibilities are played out. It could well be that in one such reality I was never Buffy's Watcher, that Dawn was never sent to her to protect, and that, as unsavoury as it sounds, she finds you very attractive"

"B-But if the Buffy that was here is from another dimension, where's our Buffy?" Tara frowned as she glanced back down at the map they'd used for the locator spell. The real Buffy couldn't be pin-pointed in Sunnydale, so where the hell had she ended up?

* * *

"Mom?" Buffy called as she came in through the front door of her house, "Mom?" she tried again, a little concerned when she got no answer. Hurrying upstairs she checked her mother's room and found no-one there. She passed through the adjoining door and was stunned by the sight of Dawn's room. Instead of all the boyband posters and fluffy pillows, boxes were piled around the bed, and a layer of dust sat on every surface. It was nothing more than a storage room, full of junk, gallery stuff, and various other things. 

In a panic the Slayer spun around and ran out onto the landing just as the bathroom door opened. She had her arm raised to attack the person that was exited until she realised who it was.

"Spike?" she checked, her eyes wide as he turned to face her, completely naked it seemed but for the towel around his waist. His hair was dripping wet and droplets of water ran down his chest as he stood before her with a stupid grin on his face.

"Hello, luv" he smiled, "Thought I heard you come in. Joyce is at the gallery still if you need her"

Buffy stared at him in disbelief as he ran a hand back through his hair, pushing unruly curls off his forehead.

"What the hell is going on? What are you doing showering in my house?" she yelled, not understanding this at all.

"Are you feelin' alright, pet?" Spike frowned, reaching out a hand to her face, as if to check her temperature. Before his skin made contact with hers she'd slapped his hand away and was looking daggers at him.

"What. Is. Going. On?" she asked again, slowly and precisely so he would understand and hopefully explain himself.

"Nothing is going on, Buffy" he told her, getting very worried about her by now, she was acting very strangely, "Joyce had to go into the gallery for a couple of hours, I thought I'd get a shower in before I made some dinner" he explained, "Are you sure you're feelin' alright, pet?" he checked, "You don't look well, and you're acting a bit weird"

"I'm acting a... And you were gonna make... and I..." Buffy tried to make sense of what Spike was telling her and make a sentence of her own that flowed in the correct order, but she found it to be impossible.

Here was Spike, mostly naked and dripping wet, standing in her house, talking as if he lived there, and telling her _she_ was the one being weird. It was just too freaky for words!

"No, this is not... No!" she said firmly before taking off down the stairs as fast as her legs would go.

"Buffy!" Spike yelled after her twice before he heard the front door slam. She was gone, and he wasn't exactly in the best of states to folow her right now.

"Bugger" he swore as he went to his and Buffy's bedroom and closed the door behind him.

_To Be Continued..._


	5. Chapter 4 : Twisted History

**A/N : Seems this is my most popular WIPfic right now, which is cool,'cause I did worry I was losing the knack for writing this stuff for a while...  
**_**(For disclaimer, etc. - see chapter 1)**_

Chapter 4 - Twisted History

Hurrying along the street, it didn't take Buffy long to reach the Magic Box where she expected to find Giles and her friends waiting for her. She was a little surprised to find her Watcher was not there and neither was Dawn, also why were Willow and Tara behind the counter?

"Hey guys" she said uncertainly as she came into the store.

"Buffy" Willow smiled, "This is a nice surprise"

"Isn't life just full of those today" she smiled nervously as she came and stood on the opposite side of the counter to her friends.

"Th-there were other nice surprises?" Tara asked, intrigued by this.

"Maybe surprises is the wrong word" the Slayer considered, "and not so much with the nice" she admitted, "Um, weird question, but do you guys have any idea why Spike would be in my shower?"

Willow and Tara looked at each other, each of them with puzzled expressions which gave Buffy some hope. At least if they thought that the situation was weird, it proved Spike had gone crazy and not Buffy herself.

"Um, well, I guess because he wanted to get clean?" the red-head suggested eventually, "Y'know he likes to check on his crypt most days, and it's kinda icky in there so..."

"So he uses _my_ shower to get clean?" Buffy checked incredulously, "That is so not okay"

"Oh, well..." Tara said thoughtfully, "Did you and Spike have a fight?" she checked.

"Well, I kinda yelled when I found him in my house" Buffy explained, "but it wasn't exactly a fight, I mean..."

"No, sweetie" Willow interrupted and put her hand over Buffy's on the counter top, "I think Tara meant was there a fight before this. Is there a reason why you don't wanna be around him right now?"

"Of course there's a reason, Will" the Slayer laughed incredulously, "Is everybody on drugs today?" she checked, "We're talking about Spike. William the Bloody. Vampire pain in my ass!" she reeled off various titles for the same guy and Willow and Tara looked worriedly at each other once again.

"Definite fightage" the red-head said softly as they came around the counter and Tara went to change the sign at the door from Open to Closed. The shop always came second to a friend in need, and if something was going wrong with Buffy and Spike that was a major deal, after all they'd been so good together for so long now, longer even than Tara and Willow.

"W-We're here for you Buffy" she told the blonde as the three sat down at the table together.

"Anything you want to talk about at all, we'll listen" Willow assured her and the Slayer looked first at one then the other.

"Okay" she nodded slowly, "That's nice and everything but honestly I think this is more of a Giles thing than a personal dating type crisis" she said awkwardly as she got up from the seat and took a few steps back from her friends. It seemed as though it wasn't just Spike who was acting weird but Will and Tara too. Buffy was starting to wonder if some spell or similar was responsible for everybody's weird behaviour, and was sure her Watcher would be able to figure it out, unless of course he'd been affected too.

"Giles?" Willow echoed, "What's a Giles?" she wondered aloud and Buffy's frown deepened as she glanced around uncertainly.

"This is so not good" she said to herself, "This shop, who owns it?" she asked.

"W-Willow and me" Tara told her, with a look that said Buffy ought to have known it. She and her girlfriend were equally as wigged as the Slayer by now, wondering why their friend was acting so strangely as Buffy herself contemplated the fact she may just have entered Bizarro World.

"Sweetie, are you sure you're okay?" Willow asked, reaching out a hand to the blonde's forehead as if to check her temperature - she felt normal.

"Uh, yeah" Buffy forced a smile, "Yes, I'm fine, I just... I'm tired, I guess, it's been a long day" she said, faking a huge yawn as she quickly got up from her seat and made for the door, "I should just go home, get some rest" she told them.

Her friends made no move to stop her, agreeing that maybe some sleep would help her. She was saying some very strange things as far as they were concerned though to the Slayer of course it was Willow and Tara who were acting weird.

Outside the front door of the Magic Box, Buffy let her fake smile slide and let out a breath she'd been unaware she was holding. Something weird was happening here, something very bad. It seemed as if nothing was as it should be, and she was the only one who realised it.

As she ran over the events of the last couple of hours in her mind she decided the best course of action would be to find someone who could help her. In the apparent absence of Giles, her next port of call was her mother. Spike had said she'd had to go to the gallery for some reason. Though Buffy thought it was strange that her mother should be going to work so soon after her illness and time in hospital, she figured that it wasn't any weirder than anything else that had happened so far.

It was on her way to the gallery that Buffy began to wonder about Dawn. Checking her watch she realised the girl should be home from school by now, and if she wasn't at the Magic Box, she must be at Revello Drive, presumably with Spike. Though that bothered her somewhat, the chipped vampire had at least proven that he had no intention of harming Dawn and so Buffy's mind was put at rest, at least, until she reached the gallery and saw Spike was in fact there, right outside the front door, in the sunshine.

"Oh my God" the Slayer gasped as she started to run down the street, catching Spike unawares and spinning him around. In a second she had him pinned to the wall around the side of the building, a hand at his throat, the other reaching for a stake she couldn't find in the pocket she was sure she should have it in.

"Buffy!" Spike exclaimed, holding up his hands in surrender, "What's wrong, luv?"

"What the hell are you doing out here?" she yelled back at him, "How can you be out here in the daytime! Tell me how!" she demanded, very near throttling him as she did so.

"Bloody hell, Slayer!" the bleached blond complained, finding it difficult to get his words out when she was crushing his voice box, "The ring, remember? The ring let's me be out here" he explained, waving his hand in her face.

Buffy frowned hard as she finally let go of his throat and instead grabbed his arm, looking carefully at the ring on his finger that bore a green jewel.

"No" she shook her head, "The Gem of Amara, it was destroyed, you can't have that"

Spike was also frowning hard as he tilted his head and stared at the woman before him that he loved so much. Tears were welling up in her eyes, and she looked so confused. He couldn't understand what had happened to make her act this way or make her so upset, but he planned to find out and help her fix whatever the problem was as soon a possible. Of all things in the world he hated, he loathed her suffering most of all.

"The Gem was never destroyed Buffy" he said carefully, afraid to worsen her distress, "You gave it to me. Course your friends made a right royal racket and a fuss at the time, but you trusted me. Said you were giving me the ring to prove it" he explained as she stared at him dumb-struck, "You do remember?" he checked, and the look on her face told him she really didn't.

"Spike? Buffy?" the Slayer jolted out of a daze as her mother appeared around the corner, her face full of concern, "I thought I heard voices, are you two okay?" she checked.

"Mom" Buffy exclaimed, letting go of Spike and moving to hug her mother tight, "Nothing's like it should be" she cried as Joyce held her and rubbed her back soothingly, at the same time looking over her daughter's head and sharing a concerned look with Spike.

"I'm sure it'll all be okay, sweetie" she said calmly, only hoping she was right. In a world of demons and monsters, living on a Hellmouth and all, it was perfectly possible that things would not be okay, not without certain sacrifices being made.

"Maybe we should head home" Spike suggested, "See if we can't figure out what's going on"

"Oh" Buffy said suddenly, pulling away from her mother and glancing between the older woman and the bleached blond, "Dawnie. Where is she? She should be home from school by now"

"Honey, who's Dawnie?" Joyce frowned.

"Dawn" Buffy repeated, "My sister, your daughter" she explained to her mother, who's expression remained blank. Of course she'd had strange memory lapses during her illness so the Slayer was not wholly shocked. Not wanting to make a big of Joyce's slip and upset her, she said it didn't matter and took herself off home with Spike and her mother, still wondering what the hell was going on.

Joyce had sent Buffy into the kitchen to make some tea almost the second they'd got through the front door. The Slayer didn't think that was too weird and since she was so confused by just about everything else she just did as she was asked. She was about to re-enter the dining room with the tray of tea things in her hands when she heard the conversation between Spike and her mother and stopped to listen a while.

"It's like she's in another world, Joyce" the vampire sighed, "She seemed to know me but, it's like we're right back where we started"

"Spike, honey, it's probably just temporary" the woman told him gently, "But maybe we could talk to Willow and Tara. It could be a spell or something that's confusing Buffy, or maybe a demon came after her again"

"Maybe" Spike agreed, "I just hope she snaps out of it soon. 'S gonna kill me havin' to keep my distance, deal with her acting so off with me. You know how much I love her"  
"I know, Spike" Joyce sighed, "And you two have been so strong together for so long now. Two years together, nothing's going to ruin that, we won't let it"

A crash in the doorway caught both heir attention and they jumped up from their seats. There in the entrance to the kitchen stood Buffy, smashed china on the floor at her feet, where the tray had apparently slipped from her grasp. Thankfully it seemed she hadn't been cut by the sharp pieces of crockery or scalded by the hot tea, but the fact she was so pale and shaky worried those who loved her very much.

"I'm sorry" she said as she bent down to clear up the mess.

Joyce stopped her and said she would do it, and that maybe Buffy should go and lie down, she didn't seem at all well. It was Spike who guided her safely to the stairs and up them. Though Buffy knew she should be wary of him, he was being so kind and gentle, her mother trusted him implicitly it seemed, and whatever was happening in this Bizarro version of her world seemed to mean that as far as everybody else was concerned she was dating Spike and he lived here in her house with her. If that was the case, he was unlikely to harm her.

At the top of the stairs they turned towards what Buffy knew to be her room but when they entered it together it became clear that it was half Spike's space too now. There was a picture of them together on the night stand, arms around each other, both of them grinning like idiots. Two of his black T-shirts were folded up on the bed, presumably having been recently laundered, and the bed-clothes were not any she remembered having.

"Why don't you lie down, luv" he suggested as he pulled the drapes against the sun that was slowly setting, "Couple of extra hours sleep'd probably do you the world of good y'know"

"None of this makes any sense" she shook her head, not realising he had approached her from behind til she suddenly turned and came face to face with him.

"'S alright, pet" he told her gently, "I promise you, it'll be alright" he offered her a weak smile, daring to lean forward and plant a kiss on her forehead before heading for the door. He was only relieved she didn't try to lay him out for daring to touch her, she really wasn't herself at all today.

As the door closed behind the vampire who seemed to care so much about her, Buffy's hand went absently to her face, fingertips lingering at the point on her forehead where Spikes lips had been a moment before. He was so different, so human and caring and just so far removed from the Spike she knew. This mixed in with the fact that nobody seemed to know who Giles or Dawn were, and Tara and Willow were running the Magic Shop, led Buffy to believe that maybe this wasn't her world at all. As she lay down on the bed, contemplating what was happening, she couldn't help but shed further tears. Somehow this wasn't her world, and despite her Slayerness that gave her physical power and strength of character, she had to admit to herself at least that she was afraid of what was to come.

_To Be Continued..._


	6. Chapter 5 : Somebody to Love

**A/N : Much upcoming Spuffyage - Hope you like!  
**_**(For disclaimer, etc. - see chapter 1)**_

Chapter 5 - Somebody To Love

Buffy didn't know where she was going when she left the Magic Box, she just knew she had to get out. The day had started off so well, she'd had such a good feeling as she'd walked through the cemetery where Spike's crypt resided. He hadn't seemed as pleased to see her as she'd expected and he was very reluctant to get close to her. That had been the first sign that something was wrong, and maybe when he offered to go hang out with her friends, that ought to have been a second signal to Buffy that things were not normal today, but she was just so grateful that he'd said it.

When Willow and Tara, and Xander and Anya started acting weird too, and then proceeded to tell her she had a sister and a Watcher she knew nothing of, that was when the Slayer got seriously wigged and had to get out. At first she just thought it was a weird day, now she was really worried that something bad had happened to her friends. None of them were acting right at all.

"I wish Faith were here" Buffy sighed to herself, "She'd know what to do" she muttered as she walked on down the street and realised she was in Revello Drive. Her feet had carried her home, the obvious place to go in times of crisis and yet when Buffy reached her house and stepped up onto the front porch, the smile that had just appeared fell from her face. Through the window she could see her mother, hugging the brunette girl that the gang had said was her little sister, named Dawn. It was insane, she didn't have a sister, and yet her mother clearly knew her.

The Slayer was seconds away from bursting into the house to ask what the hell was going on when she realised the window was slightly ajar and she could hear the conversation within.

"It was like she had no idea who I was, Mom" the young girl cried, "What's happening to her?"

"I don't know, sweetie" Joyce comforted her, "but whatever's wrong with Buffy, we'll figure it out, I promise"

Buffy shook her head, tears coming to her eyes and her hand covering her mouth as she stifled a sob and she ran away, again with no real idea of where she was going to, just knowing she had to get away. There was something wrong with her, that's what her mother and apparent sister were saying, and yet she'd thought that the problem lie with her friends. If it was her that was crazy, Buffy didn't know how or why it had happened. Everything had seemed so good this morning and now it was so messed up. She went over her steps and actions in her head from the moment she woke to now. There was nothing to suggest anything had changed or happened to make the world so different.

"Unless I never woke up" she considered, the thought hitting her like a lightening bolt and causing her to stop walking in the middle of the street.

Pinching her own arm only caused her to yelp with pain and yet the world remained as it was. She tried again a couple of times, slapping herself in the face for good measure, until a passer-by looked at her as if she were a psycho. Well, maybe she was. After all, if she wasn't asleep, Buffy had no other explanation for why she didn't remember people she was supposed to or why the world didn't seem look the same place it was yesterday. Nobody else seemed wigged but her.

There was only one place she knew she'd be safe to run to now, only one person who was guaranteed to want to help her out of this fix.

"Spike" she said to herself as she set off towards the graveyard. She needed to know everything would be okay somehow, and in his arms she always felt safe.

Spike half expected to find Buffy at his crypt when he got there. She was, after all, apparently obsessed with him, and he wondered how it hadn't occurred to him that she wasn't really his Buffy at all. He smirked at the phrasing he'd used in his head. 'His' Buffy. This version apparently wanted to be his, where as the 'real' Buffy, who's location was currently unknown, couldn't stand to be within three feet of him unless she was kicking him in the head and telling him what a piece of scum he was.

The Scoobies had come to the conclusion that if the Buffy from this dimension wasn't showing up in the locator spell, the likely explanation seemed to be that she was in the dimension that this other Slayer came from. They'd switched over somehow, and though it was as yet unclear as to how and why it'd happened, it was considered a positive thing that her friends had even worked out that much!

The decision was made that this other Buffy needed to be found, calmed down, and questioned til the Scoobies could work out how to send her back to where she came from and get the real Buffy back. Spike had said he'd take patrol whilst they got to searching and the gang seemed happy to let him do that. It hadn't occurred to them, as it had to the vampire, that Buffy was most likely to run to a place where he would be sure to go, like his crypt for instance. In her world it seemed they were a couple and where does a person run in times of fear and panic than to a familiar place or person that cared about them.

"Slayer" he sighed when he opened the crypt door and found her curled up in his armchair, "Had a feelin' you might be hidin' out in here" he admitted, a little stunned when she leapt from the chair and ran at him, pushing herself into his arms and hugging him tight.

As the shock subsided, Spike wrapped his arms around her too and hugged her back. This was weird to say the least, but in a good way. He hadn't really thought much about hugging the Slayer. Kissing her, shagging her, drinking her, he'd had all those thoughts and fantasies but just holding her like this, that hadn't really crossed his mind much.

"Spike, I don't know what's happening to me" she cried, her words muffled against his chest, "Nothing's how it's supposed to be, none of it makes sense" she sobbed and the vampire felt awful for her as he held her tight and ran an uncertain hand over her hair.

"I know, luv" he said softly, unsure as to whether it was a good idea to tell her the truth or not. Clearly this alternate reality Buffy was less strong than the one that belonged in this world, and much more easily led if she was dating Spike and had been for years, but then there was nothing to say he wasn't vastly different in that world too.

"You always understand" the blonde sniffed, looking up at the man she perceived to be her lover, with red-rimmed eyes and a blotchy face that did nothing to detract from her beauty in Spike's eyes, "You always make it better" she whispered, her lips incredibly close to his.

Spike felt like he was drowning in her eyes. He knew what she was doing, exactly what was about to happen, and he also knew he ought to stop it, but in all honesty, he'd waited too long for this. He couldn't resist letting himself respond as Buffy put her lips to his and kissed him with a passion. God he wanted her, and she wanted him, surely there couldn't be anything wrong with that Spike told himself, though for a creature that supposedly had no conscience or soul, there was one hell of a battle going on in his head right now, as Buffy's small hands slid over his back and down, pulling his T-shirt free from his jeans.

Now was the time to stop this madness, and Spike knew it, as Buffy pushed his coat from his shoulders and they stumbled across the crypt to the ladder that led down to his bed. He meant to say no, and that this was wrong, but her lips didn't leave his long enough for him to speak and her body pressed up against his was creating a reaction he couldn't hide. She was smiling when they parted slightly and she slipped out of his arms beckoning him to follow her as she climbed down the ladder to the lower level of the crypt. Spike waited a moment, closed his eyes and took an unnecessary breath, still weighing up his options in his mind. To go through with this was insanity, and as unreal as the thing he'd had with the Buffy-Bot, said one side of his brain, but the other told a different tale. This was Buffy, looked like her, sounded like her, smelt like her, felt like her. In every sense of the word she was the Slayer he loved, except she was from another dimension, one in which he was probably a vastly different person, one she loved.

"Buffy..." he said as he arrived on the lower level and turned around. He hadn't expected her to be so close, or so naked.

"Ssh" she said, putting a finger to his lips, "I don't wanna talk right now" she told him, showing him what she'd much rather do instead, though of course it was already entirely obvious.

Spike lost the ability to think of anything but Buffy and what they were doing after that as they lay down together on the bed. She helped him out of the rest of his clothing, and they were soon making love like she'd wanted to the first time she came to find him today. None of the badness mattered when she and Spike were together, she didn't have to think or feel anything but him and what he could do to her. It was a kind of bliss she wouldn't trade for the world.

* * *

Buffy lay in her bed, watching the figures on the digital clock turn over and over. It was three in the morning, and she'd been lying there awake for a couple of hours now. Exhaustion and crying had initially sent her off to sleep but she soon woke up again and began worrying about the situation she'd found herself in.

This wasn't her world, or if it was it had become very different to what she remembered, and all in a flash. Yesterday had started off normal enough, up until she got home and found Dawn's room no longer contained her sister's things, and that Spike was in the shower! He'd acted as if everything was totally normal, as had her mother, and Willow and Tara. It seemed as though Dawn and Giles no longer existed, or had never existed, and that wigged her a lot. Buffy was concerned that two of the most important people in her life had been so easily erased from history and then in place of them she seemed to have Spike as a boyfriend!

It was no good. With her head so full of thoughts, it was near impossible to sleep, and it wasn't helping that she was very thirsty. Deciding that probably the best idea was just to go get a glass of water, Buffy hopped out of bed, pulled on her dressing gown and padded down the stairs, headed for the kitchen. She got a surprise when she turned on the light in the hall and found Spike sitting on the couch.

"Oh God" she gasped, hand going to her chest as she jumped.

"Sorry, luv" the vampire smirked, "Didn't mean to scare you" he told her as she looked him over, and realised he had apparently been sleeping there on the sofa.

"Did I wake you?" she asked, wondering why she cared if she spoilt a vampire's night sleep - that in itself seemed to be a ridiculous statement!

"Wish you had, pet" he sighed, "Unfortunately, I can't seem to find the Land of Nod tonight. Figure it's this couch, givin' me a bleedin' crick in the neck already"

Buffy nodded vaguely as she realised he really ought to be in the bed upstairs with her, not that it was what she wanted at all, after all he was Spike, a vampire who she hated... most of the time. The fact was, in this world she found herself in, Spike's love for her was far from one sided. The two of them were presumably in love and had been for some time. It scared her to death that she had apparently ended up in some alternate reality where little or nothing made sense, and her eyes welled up with tears before she'd even noticed.

"Hey, don't do that" Spike urged her when he noticed. Out of habit he got up and crossed the space between them, putting his arms around the Slayer and pulling her close. She wriggled a little as if to get away, but only for a moment before she relaxed into his embrace and just let herself cry for a while.

"You know I hate to see you cry" the vampire who adored her said softly as his hand gently rubbed her back and he tried to calm her.

Buffy was surprised to find it actually felt pretty good to be held like this. Since Riley left, she'd had to do without the support of a man who loved her. Now it seemed she had Spike, which made her wonder how this version of the vampire was so kind and gentle, when the one in her own reality thought the way to impress a girl was to chain her up and threaten her with death!

"I'm sorry" Buffy said eventually pulling away and glancing up at him in the half light, "I'm just feeling kinda confused right now" she admitted.

"I know, pet" Spike said gently, putting his hand to her cheek, "but we will figure this out" he smiled encouragingly for a moment, "'S gotta be a spell, or somethin' a demon's done to you" he sighed, "Tomorrow I'll talk to Faith, she's more likely to know what to do for the best..."

"Huh?" Buffy interrupted with a confused sound that matched her equally baffled expression, "What did you just say about Faith?" she checked.

"That she'd know better what to do for the best" Spike repeated, head tilting to one side as he stared at his love, wondering why she looked so puzzled, "You ought to remember who Faith is, pet" he shook his head, wondering just how crazy Buffy was going to get, "She's the original Slayer"

"What!" Buffy gasped.

This had to be a joke!

_To Be Continued..._


	7. Chapter 6 : Mass Confusion

**A/N : Seems I kinda stunned you all with the Faith thing, but hey, it's an alternate universe, anything could happen!  
**_**(For disclaimer, etc. - see chapter 1)**_

Chapter 6 - Mass Confusion

The last thing Spike had wanted to do was fall asleep right now, he wanted to savour every moment he could get with Buffy, but after over a day without sleep, hardly any blood, and several hours of making love with the woman he adored, even his vampire constitution couldn't cope anymore. He needed rest and had fallen asleep, his body still entwined with the Slayer's own.

Buffy herself was wide awake, which was strange since she was usually the first to fall asleep out of the two of them. Now her brain was humming as well as every inch of her body as she tried to figure out what was wrong. Something definitely wasn't as it should be, and it scared her a little bit. Obviously she'd known for hours now that things were not as they should be, she had a sister and a Watcher she didn't know existed and up until a few hours ago Spike hadn't seemed himself.

Spike was the factor that had now convinced Buffy that something was most definitely wrong. They'd made love a hundred times and more over the past couple of years, and every time it was magical. That fact hadn't changed tonight, Spike had made her feel like the most precious and loved woman in the world, just like he always did, but something was different. The way he touched her, the way he looked at her, something just wasn't the same. There was nothing bad about it, not at all, but it was just different, he was different somehow.

Buffy sighed as she turned her head on the pillow and watched her lover sleeping beside her. He was her Spike, looked identical, sounded identical, and yet there was something... It was frustrating the Slayer so much that she couldn't figure out exactly what this thing was, but whatever it was it was not as it should be.

Carefully she disentangled herself from Spike and got out of bed. He shifted in his sleep but thankfully did not wake as she located her clothes and slid back into them. A part of her considered running again, but she'd done enough of that lately. If Buffy was ever going to figure out what the hell was going on she figured she stood the best chance of getting a straight answer out of Spike. He loved her, that was still true, no matter what else had changed and made her world all topsy turvy.

Sitting down gently on the end of the bed she watched him sleeping for a while. He didn't move at all, didn't even breathe most of the time, and it still freaked her a little to be reminded he was technically dead. They'd been sharing a bed long enough she ought to be used to it but she wasn't.

As if he felt her eyes on him, Spike suddenly stirred, eyelids flickering until all of sudden his gaze met hers.

"You alright, luv?" he asked uncertainly as he sat up in the bed, covers falling off his body and revealing almost everything he had.

"Yes, and no" Buffy admitted, shifting awkwardly, "Why is it different, Spike?" she asked him, hoping for a simple answer to a simple question but knowing that was unlikely. After all this was the Hellmouth they were living on, nothing was ever simple, clean cut, or black and white here. Spike was the poster boy for that very fact.

"Was wonderin' when that question was goin' to come around again" he sighed, looking away for a moment and then back at her, "Mind if I get dressed before I explain?" he asked her, suddenly very wary of his nakedness. Not that he was bothered at all by being seen in such a state of undress, more that he was about to tell the Slayer something she might not completely like and he'd rather keep his extremities attached to his body if at all possible, if and when she got mad at him.

Buffy nodded and then waited as Spike slid his T-shirt and jeans back on, running his hands through his hair to flatten it out some as he finally came and sat beside her on the end of the bed.

"Right then" he said, "S'pose it's explanation time... This isn't your world, pet" he told her eventually and Buffy's brow furrowed at that.

"It's not my world?" she repeated, as she tried to work out what the hell that meant, "Geez, can you vague that up for me?" she rolled her eyes.

"I dunno how else to say it, luv, I'm not your Watcher type with books and knowledge of bloody time space continuums and what have you" Spike sighed, "S'pose it's like, there's all these different realities or dimensions or whatever where all the possibilities of the world are played out" he tried again to explain, "In your world, you and me are... well, we get along better than we do in my world that's for sure" he smirked, "Seems somewhere along the line the Buffy from my world switched places with you and here you are"

"Woah" Buffy said suddenly scrambling to her feet, "No, no way, this is not happening" she laughed, hoping this was some kind of joke, "You're telling me I've crossed dimensions? That I'm not the Buffy that belongs in this world?"

"From what your Scooby mates tell me, yeah" Spike nodded, "The Buffy who belongs here, well, we figure she's popped up in whatever world you're from"

"This so cannot be happening to me" the blonde shook her head as she paced the floor, "No, this stuff happens to Faith, or Willow, not to me!"

"You remember this happenin' to Red?" Spike checked, recalling how the witch had figured the situation out in the first place. She'd told them how she'd met her vampire self from another dimension, and it seemed that perhaps that has also happened in the world this version of Buffy came from.

"Kind of hard to forget when your friend shows up as a vampire" the Slayer told him with an eye-roll for good measure, "Besides you should know all about it, you were there" she reminded him, before frowning, "Or at least, Spike was there, my Spike... oh my God you're not him and we..."

"Yeah, about that" Spike said carefully, "I wasn't trying to... What I mean is, you were all up for it and I didn't know how to... Bugger this" he sighed, not really knowing how best to explain.

"Oh God" Buffy gasped as she realised what had happened. Though this was Spike, it wasn't her boyfriend, this wasn't her world.

"Luv, please" the vampire said as he reached out to her, "I never meant to upset you. I might not be the same Spike you thought I was but, I still love you, pet"

"No, no you don't" she shook her head, "I'm not her, I'm a different me, I..."

Tears filled the Slayer's eyes as she got lost in her own train of thought. She just wanted to be in the arms of her Spike, the man she loved. In the absence of that man she would take the next best thing, and allowed this version of the bleached blond vampire to hold her close to him. It wasn't perfect but it was better than nothing.

* * *

"This is so not happening" Buffy exclaimed, getting up from the couch and pacing up and down the room, "No way, no how, just no!"

Spike was worried about her, extremely worried if he were honest. Her behaviour had been so weird since this morning, she seemed to have lost parts of her memory or something, especially where he was concerned, and now suddenly she was freaking out about Faith.

"Luv, I don't understand why you're so upset" he admitted, "You know you're always number one with me" he said with a kind smile as he got to his feet and blocked her path, "but Faith was always the main Slayer, what with her being called before you and all, and not forgetting Kendra in between"

"No, no, no!" Buffy protested shaking her head, "I was called, when I was fifteen, then I died for like five minutes, Kendra got called, and when she died Faith got called, and that's the way it is" she explained, causing Spike to frown.

"Buffy, pet, I think you're getting confused" he said gently, his hands going to the top of her arms. The Slayer immediately pushed them off, her eyes hardening with anger.

"I am not confused" she said firmly, "I don't know what the hell is happening here but... Spike, if I find out you've done this to me, made some deal to get a spell put on me or my friends or..."  
"Buffy, what the bloody hell are you rambling on about, luv?" he checked, "Why would I make a deal to put a spell on anybody?"

"Why wouldn't you?!" she scoffed, "You with your stupid obsessiveness, and telling me you love me all out of the blue"

"Out of the blue?!" Spike echoed her words this time, incredulity evident in his tone, "We've been together two years, luv, I hardly think..."

"We so have not!" she protested, "Two years ago you weren't even in Sunnydale!"

"Are you soddin' hallucinating or what?" the vampire yelled back at her, getting seriously pissed off by now, "I never heard you talk so much crap!"

"What on Earth is going on down here?" a voice said suddenly from the stairs, and both Buffy and Spike turned to see Joyce standing there in the half light.

"Mom!" the Slayer called, running to her mother, "Please, agree with me here, I am not dating Spike, I don't even like him, and he wasn't here two years ago, he left town with Dru, and..."

"Buffy, sweetheart" Joyce interrupted, coming down the stairs and standing in front of her daughter. She put her had to her cheek and then her forehead, "Honey, are you feeling okay?"

"I'm not sick, Mom" she assured her, tears of pure frustration welling up in her eyes, "I just... Why is it all different? This doesn't even feel like my world" she cried, going into her mothers arms and sobbing like a baby. It was the second time in twenty four hours that she'd been in this state, and Joyce couldn't remember the last time before today when she'd seen her girl in such a terrible state.

"Spike" she called softly to the vampire, "I'm going to take Buffy back to bed now. Could you please call Faith and Wesley for me, tell them we need them here as soon as they can come?"

"Will do, Joyce" Spike nodded, as Mrs Summers encouraged her daughter up the stairs to bed.

With a sigh, he headed for the telephone and speed-dialled the number he knew by heart anyway. It rang three times before someone picked up and a groggy voice demanded to know what the hell he wanted.

"Faith, it's Spike. We've got a situation" he told the Slayer who immediately snapped awake.

"Vamps, demons, what's the what Spike?" she wanted to know.

"It's Buffy" he explained, "Something's happened to her, dunno exactly what but we need the experts on this one"

"Whatever's up, it's got you seriously rattled, man" Faith said, sounding a little worried herself. It was almost unheard of for old William the Bloody to get scared but right now she'd lay good money he was seriously afraid.

"It's Buffy, pet, you know what she means to me" he reminded her, as he glanced up the stairs in the direction his woman had gone with her mother, "I can't bear to see her suffer"

"Me and Wes'll be there as soon as, Spike" the Slayer promised him, "Sit tight, the cavalry's comin'"

_To Be Continued..._


	8. Chapter 7 : Sisters

**A/N : Yeah, so you figured out that Faith and Wes are a little more than just Slayer and Watcher in the alternate world, but of course the main focus is, what is going on with Buffy and Spike?  
**_**(For disclaimer, etc. - see chapter 1)**_

Chapter 7 - Sisters Are Doing It For Themselves

"Hey" said Faith as Spike opened the front door and let her and Wesley inside, "Where's B?"

"Back in bed" he explained, "She got in a right royal state, Joyce is calming her down now"  
"Exactly what sort of state?" Wesley asked as he sat down with his Slayer on the couch, Spike perching on the coffee table in front of them.

"It's like her memories have got scrambled" he tried to explain, "She talks like me and her hate each other, she reckons she was the Slayer before you, pet" he said to Faith, "and when she looks at me... sometimes it's like it's not even her"

Both Spike and Faith looked to Wesley at this point. Though he was much more of a demon-hunter these days than he had been just two years ago, he was still a Watcher and his head was jam-packed full of the knowledge he'd learnt from studying books and ancient texts since he was a child. If anyone could figure out what was up with Buffy, it would be him.

"Perhaps a spell has been cast on Buffy" he mused, "Something to confuse and disorientate, or perhaps to alter her memories and perceptions"

"Why would anybody do that?" Faith wanted to know, "I mean, if demons come gunning for the Slayer it's me they hunt down, not the second"  
"Unless it's someone or something that knows something we don't" her Watcher and boyfriend pointed out, "Something that thinks it necessary to disable Buffy from doing what she would normally do"

"Could be" Faith considered, "Maybe B even knows what happened to her but she's havin' some problems remembering cos of her mixed up memories?"

"S'pose that's a possibility" Spike considered, running his hand back through his hair, "But honestly, pet, it damn near kills me tryin' to make sense of her right now"

"Okay" Faith nodded as she thought about it, "How about this, you guys head back to our place, break out the books, get a list of anything that might have done this to B" she suggested to her friend and her Watcher, "I'll hang here til Blondie wakes up and we'll talk things over. Maybe I can get more sense out of her, doin' the girl thing, y'know?"

The two men agreed to her plan. Wesley was sure he didn't want to be delving into the workings of the second Slayer's Valley Girl brain. She wasn't half so smart as Faith in a lot of ways and not his biggest fan in all honesty. Spike would rather have stayed and helped Buffy but it seemed she was beyond his reach right now. Until she started to remember who he was and what they had it was pointless him telling her anything. Perhaps Faith would have more luck getting some sense out of her, she was a Slayer-in-arms after all, half the time they acted like sisters. Spike didn't much care what they had to do, he just wanted his Buffy back, and soon.

It was several hours later, Faith had taken up residence on the Summers' couch, watching late night TV and not even feeling tired. She was more used to the vampire life-style anyway, sleeping during the day and going out at night - appropriate for slaying, partying, and the other activities she and Wes got up to that weren't talked about in polite conversation.

"Oh, Faith" Joyce was only slightly surprised to find the girl in her living room when she came downstairs next morning, "How are you, sweetheart?"

"Five by five, Mrs S" the brunette smiled, flipping off the TV and following the older woman to the kitchen, "Little worried about B though. From what Spike was sayin' we got some serious trouble here in Hellmouth City"

"She's not herself, Faith" Joyce shook her head as she put some coffee on, "I've tried talking to her but she doesn't make much sense. She was rambling a lot about it being as if this isn't her world. I really don't know what to make of it"

"Not her world, huh?" the Slayer said thoughtfully as Buffy's mother poured a glass of orange juice and handed it to her, "I dunno what that means but it's somethin' to pass on to Wes and Spike. They went back to our place to hit the books, figure out some possibilities for Buffy's whacked out craziness"

"I should call the gallery and tell them I won't be in today" Joyce realised, reaching for the phone, but Faith stopped her.

"Really Joyce, you should go" she told her, "I can watch over B, at least til the guys get back later. If we're gonna figure this out I'm gonna have to talk to her"

With Mrs Summers in agreement of the plan she soon left to go to work, wishing Faith good luck and asking her to take care of her little girl. It didn't matter how old Buffy got, the Slayer realised, Joyce was always going to think of her as her baby. The jealousy stung at her heart a little bit, her parents having abandoned her long ago, but she smiled when she realised she was being insane. She had a Mom-figure in Joyce now, a brother type in Spike, and the best boyfriend in her Watcher, Wes. She thought she had a sister in Buffy too, and there was no way she was letting some demon or warlock or whatever the hell had messed with the blonde take away a part of the make-shift family she secretly loved so much.

"Yo, B" she called through the other Slayer's bedroom door as she tapped on the wood, "You up?" she checked.

She heard movement in the room before the door was suddenly flung open and she received a kick to the head for her trouble.

"Damn!" she cursed as her back hit the opposite wall, "What the hell, B?" she gasped as she looked over at the blonde now standing in the open doorway, still in her pyjamas but in battle-stance as if she were facing down some big ugly demon rather than greeting her sister-Slayer.

"What did you do?" Buffy asked menacingly, "How did you change everything? Is it a spell? Who'd you get to do the spell, Faith?"

"Geez, you really are three steps away from straight-jacket county, ain't ya?" the brunette remarked, looking stunned by Buffy's violent and angry behaviour.

"Tell me how you did this!" the blonde yelled, "I won't ask again"

"I didn't do nothin', B" Faith yelled back, letting her hand fall to her side now, satisfied her friend hadn't broken her jaw with her foot, "I just wanna talk is all"  
"No" Buffy shook her head, "No, you shouldn't even be here" she told her, "You were in jail in LA, and I don't know how you got out or how you changed things like this but I'll figure it out, and then you're going down"  
"I'm going down?" Faith made a face, "Okay, when did you pick up that kind of talk, man?" she almost laughed at the absurdity of hearing Buffy say such things, "First off, where the frickin' hell did you get this jail crap?" she wanted to know, "And second, let the battle-stance go, B, you know I could kill you six ways from Sunday without even breaking a sweat" she told her, and Buffy snorted at that.

"You forget our past fights, _F_?" she said with sarcasm, "The one where I put you in hospital, when I almost killed you?!"

"Damn, that is some imagination you have, B" Faith shook her head, "But you ain't scaring me with this crap. You freak Spike out cos he loves you so damn much he can't stand to see you going pschizo, but me, I remember you before, the bitchy streaks and all, and I'm here to tell you, you can say whatever, you can come at me fists flyin' and I don't care"

"Of course you don't care" Buffy half-laughed, "You never care about anything. You never cared, even when you killed that man..."

"Woah, woah, woah" Faith put up a hand to silence her, "What the hell did you just say?"

"Don't act the innocent, Faith" Buffy warned her, "Maybe you fixed everybody else so they don't remember, but I do. You killed the Deputy Mayor, two years ago. You didn't care then, and you still don't now" she shook her head, "And Angel said you'd changed" she almost laughed at the absurdity of it all. Faith, however, did not look at all amused.

"You leave Angel out of this" she warned the blonde, "You know what he meant to me, and now he's gone..."  
"He's in LA, Faith, he didn't go far" Buffy rolled her eyes, "And he didn't mean half so much to you as he meant to me. How dare you try to take over my life?!" she screamed, coming at her sister-Slayer again. Faith was more prepared this time and easily fought back, knocking Buffy flying into the bedroom where she landed gracelessly on the bed.

"Okay, that is enough!" she said firmly, "I dunno what's been screwing with you, B, but you're damn well gonna listen to what I'm sayin' or so help me I'm gonna lose my temper!" she yelled.

Buffy moved to get up from the bed but stayed seated for now, after all Faith might let something slip in her so-called explanation of what was going on, she ought to hear her out for that reason alone.

"I'm listening" Buffy said through gritted teeth as Faith took a couple of calming breathes, pushing her hair out of her face and trying to think straight.

"Okay" she said at length, "Here goes..."

* * *

"Buffy" Joyce smiled as her daughter came into the house. She tried not to stare at her, but in part she couldn't help it. It was strange to think this was her daughter and yet not. She looked almost exactly the same and yet as Giles had explained to Joyce on the phone, she had different memories, different thoughts, and came from a whole different world.

"Hey, Mom" the Slayer said uneasily, glancing around the hallway. The house was almost identical to her own, except when she walked through to the living room the pictures on the mantle had changed, including the girl everybody told her was her sister, Dawn. Speaking of which, the young girl soon showed herself, hovering in the doorway and looking just as uncomfortable as her sister.

"Hi" she said quietly, "Are you okay?"

"Yes" Buffy answered quickly, "Or kind of, at least" she sighed, "This is a little weird"  
"Tell me about it" Dawn nodded, looking away.

"Oh, are you hungry, sweetheart?" Joyce asked Buffy suddenly as if she'd just remembered that she'd meant to, "I could cook something or maybe just make a sandwich if you wanted a snack?"

"A sandwich is good" Buffy smiled and nodded, only now realising she was a little hungry, it had been quite a while since she'd eaten last.

Left alone together, the Summers sisters eyed each other with uncertainty from opposite sides of the room.

"So, I don't exist where you come from?" Dawn asked suddenly. Buffy felt strangely guilty a she shook her head.

"No" she admitted, "Neither does that Giles guy, I don't even have a Watcher of my own"

"Huh" was her alter-ego's little sister's only response, before silence reigned once again.

"So, er, Spike was telling me I'm the real Slayer here" Buffy said after a while, "Faith is kind of evil, right?"

"Totally" Dawn almost laughed at the idea of the dark Slayer being anything but bad, "You're the real Slayer, Buffy, or at least the other Buffy is. She totally kicks ass and fights all the bad things that come after everybody, including me" she said, looking almost nervous.  
"Is something coming?" she frowned slightly, "Is there a demon or..."  
"It's no big" Dawn shook her head, "I'm sure we'll get you and Buffy, the other Buffy, switched back before she tries anything else"

"I hope so" the blonde said quietly, shaking a little. She'd never faced anything by herself, she'd always had Spike or Faith or somebody to stand with her. She couldn't imagine having to fight alone and protect others, like her mother, or Dawn. It frightened her a great deal.

_To Be Continued..._


	9. Chapter 8 : Figuring It Out

**A/N : Yes, it's kind of a Buffy and Faith role-reversal situation in the alternate reality, although not quite as simple as just that...  
**_**(For disclaimer, etc. - see chapter 1)**_

Chapter 8 - Figuring It Out

"I don't understand" Buffy shook her head, looking up at Faith from her position sat on the end of the bed, "You were killed by the Master and brought back, you were in love with Angel, you destroyed the Mayor and Adam...""Well, Adam wasn't all me, you helped a lot, and the rest of the gang" Faith reminded her, "Y'know the whole combining spell thing"

"Right" Buffy nodded absently, "You beat off Dracula, Toth, Olaf the Troll, all this year so... what about Glory?" she said suddenly. It was quite clear that either the universe had gone into a spiral, or she was in the wrong dimension altogether where she and Faith had opposite roles to her own world. Whichever was true didn't matter right this minute, what did matter was saving The Key, whomever that might be in this place, from the Hell Beast that was Glorificus.

"Glory?" Faith echoed, her face twisting into a frown. It appeared she had no clue what she was talking about.

"Yes, the Hell Goddess who wants the Key" Buffy explained, "If everything else runs parallel here then this must too, she has to exist here, and if Dawn doesn't there must be another person who's the Key!" she protested, "Do you have a sister?" she asked urgently and Faith's frown deepened.

"Man, whatever screwed with you did a bang up job, B" she shook her head, "You know the closest thing I got to a sister is you"

Buffy was a little taken aback by that, since it had been a very long time since she'd ever thought of her fellow Slayer in any terms other than as a murderous bitch. Sisters? It had been suggested that their occupation ought to have made them connected with a bond like that of siblings, but that had only seemed likely for a few short months, before Faith had 'pulled an Anakin' as Xander might say, and went over to the dark side.

"There must be somebody" Buffy shook her head as she thought over the people she'd met so far in this world. Willow and Tara, her mother, Spike, Faith, they'd mentioned Wesley too. Giles apparently didn't exist, and neither did Dawn, that really didn't leave anyone who might be the Key.

"Look, I dunno what it is you're lookin' to remember or whatever" Faith shrugged, "but I gotta check in with Wes and Spike" she told her sister-Slayer, "You, er, wanna come with?" she offered, satisfied that she had calmed Buffy down enough to risk taking her over to her place to see the guys and find out what info they'd gathered so far.

"I guess, yeah" Buffy nodded, feeling a lot better about her situation than she had in a lot of ways and yet she was uncomfortable with the fact that neither Glory or the Key appeared to be present in whatever screwed up world this was. Whilst she ought it be glad she didn't have to be the protector for a while and that the big bad Hell Goddess did not exist, it bothered her because it meant things were just as out of control as they had been earlier, before she understood at least a little of what was going on.

The two Slayers didn't talk much for the first stretch of their journey to Faith's apartment that she shared with Wesley. They were just a few yards away when Buffy stopped, causing her friend to do the same.

"Whats up, B?" Faith checked, with a concerned look.

"If everything's switched... if you were the Slayer first and I was after Kendra, am I not a good person here?" she checked, looking a little worried, "Am I evil?"

"Oh God, B" her sister-Slayer bust up laughing at that particular question, "That's gotta be the funniest thing you've said in a while. You ain't evil" she assured her as her laughter subsided when she realised how serious Buffy looked, "Man, you're the least evil person I know, next to your Mom"

"But I'm dating Spike?" she said, looking confused by that fact more than most.

"Well, he ain't a saint" Faith shrugged her shoulders, "but the guy fights on our side, has done for years, ever since you two fell head over butt for each other" she smiled as she opened the front door of the building they'd arrived at and led the blonde up to the apartment.

"Yo, guys!" Faith called as the pair went inside, "How's it goin'?"

"Faith" Wesley smiled at the sight of her, "and Buffy too"

Those words got Spike's attention and he looked up from his position on the floor amongst piles of books, smiling at the woman he loved whom right now felt nothing good for him at all.

"Hello, luv" he greeted her and she offered up a half smile as she raised her hand in a pathetic attempt at a wave.

"Hi" she said quietly, feeling really weird and awkward after what Faith had just told her. She and Spike had fallen 'head over butt' in love for each other, she was totally non-evil, and he was pretty much on the side of light too. It was so weird to think they could ever be together that way and be happy, and yet somehow in this world they were.

"We, er, have various theories for the... situation" Wesley explained, scrambling to his feet, turning pages back over on his notepad and offering it to Faith, "Buffy, do sit down" he offered when the blonde hovered awkwardly near the seats.

"Alternate reality, huh?" the brunette Slayer read aloud as she skipped the pages of her boyfriends handwriting, "Seems like a theme here""How you doin' luv?" Spike asked Buffy as Faith continued to go through Wes' notes with him on the other side of the room.

"Good, I guess" the blonde shrugged, "Seems like maybe I've been sucked into another world, which is freaksome for everybody but it could be worse"

"Right then" Spike nodded, not really sure what to make of all this himself.

Wes had been talking about alternate realities and the possibility that this Buffy was not from their world at all, but was in fact from a different dimension and had some how been transported to this one. That meant it was likely the 'real' Buffy was somewhere else in another world, the world from which this version of Buffy had come. The science and magicks involved made Spike's head spin if he were honest, but the fact that freaked him out most was that he was sitting here opposite the woman who appeared to be his lover, and yet they didn't even know each other. She was a different person in a lot of ways to the Buffy he knew, and it was obvious he must be much more evil in her world where they were not together in any sense of the word.

"Spike" she said suddenly catching his attention once again, "Do you know what the Key is?" she asked quietly, not wanting Faith to overhear her mentioning this subject again. The last thing she wanted was for her to think she was crazy again.

"The Key?" the vampire frowned, "Key to what?" he checked.

"It's a person" Buffy clarified as he came to sit beside her on the couch, the pair of them whispering conspiratorially, "An innocent person, formed out of energy, and there are all these memories that are made up to make that person fit in the world of the Slayer..." she stopped, her voice trailing away when she saw something shift in Spike's expression, mainly in his eyes. He didn't give much away, but it was clear even to her that he knew what she was talking about.

"Whatever world you're from, that still happened then, did it?" he asked, already knowing it must be true, "Connor was born?""Connor" Buffy frowned, "The Key is a boy here?"

"Reckon so, luv" Spike nodded, still finding it unsettling that Buffy knew so much and yet not because she wasn't the woman he really loved but a double, "Sounds like he's the one you're talking about as the Key or what all. He's Faith and Angel's miracle kid"

"Huh?" Buffy's eyes went wide as she stared at first Spike and then over at Faith talking animatedly with Wesley. This was getting weirder by the second.

* * *

"Good Morning, Joyce" Giles greeted her as she opened the front door to him. It was quite early in the morning and the Watcher had arrived as promised to talk to this alternate Buffy in an attempt to work out where she had come from exactly and how she might have got here. Once this was figured out, hopefully the Scoobies could locate their own version of the Slayer and find a way to bring her home, with any luck before Glory began another attack.

Joyce ushered Giles into the living room, offering him something in the way of breakfast. He politely declined since he'd already eaten but said he would join her in a cup of coffee if that was okay.

"Ah, Buffy" he smiled at his Slayer as she descended the stairs, not long after her mother had disappeared through to the kitchen, "How are you this morning?"

"Fine, I think" she said uncertainly as she came further into the room, "It's Giles, right?" she checked, feeling terribly awkward. From what Spike and her mother had told her, this guy was her Watcher, practically a father figure to the other Buffy, and yet she herself didn't know him at all.

"Yes, indeed, I'm Rupert Giles, your Watcher" he smiled, "Well, when I say your Watcher, of course I mean..."

"It's okay" Buffy nodded, "I know what you mean" she smiled as she took a seat in the armchair opposite, "This is all a little weird. Sometimes it feels just like home and then..." she trailed off, feeling ridiculously tearful and so wishing Spike was here, even the alternate Spike that wasn't really hers to claim the services of.

"It must be very disturbing for you" Giles sympathised, "but we're all friends here, and I just wondered if I might ask you a few questions" he said as he opened up a notebook on the coffee table, "I understand it has been explained to you that we believe that Buffy, the one who belongs here, has traded places with you as it were, and is probably in the dimension from which you yourself come"

"Yes, Spike told me" Buffy confirmed, "though honestly, it seems pretty weird. I guess you have to expect this kind of stuff on the Hellmouth""Indeed" Giles smiled, ticking off one question that he now no longer needed to ask. As he suspected, the Sunnydale in this Buffy's world was also on a Hellmouth.

Joyce soon returned to the room with coffee for Giles and breakfast cereal and juice for her daughter. Dawn was quickly ushered into the kitchen for her own early morning meal, as Giles ran through his list of questions with Buffy and noted down her answers, some of which were much more interesting and/or confusing than others.

"Excellent, right" he said, ticking a another box, "Er, that brings us to Glory" he told the Slayer, "Do you know who she is?"

"Glory?" Buffy echoed, her brow creasing, "No, that's not familiar"

"Hmm, how strange" Giles mused as he made a note of it, "No mention of a Key in your world? An innocent person formed of energy by..."

"How do you know about him?" Buffy gasped suddenly.

"Him?" the Watcher echoed, sitting up very straight suddenly and frowning somewhat.

"Faith's son" she confirmed with a nod, "Connor"

"Good Lord" Giles gasped, as he dropped the pencil from his hand. This was getting ever more strange by the minute.

_To Be Continued..._


	10. Chapter 9 : Maybe Baby

**A/N : A little more crazyness for you all...  
**_**(For disclaimer, etc. - see chapter 1)**_

Chapter 9 - Maybe Baby

"Yo, B" Faith said suddenly, turning her attention back to her fellow Slayer, "Wes here thinks that..." she stopped when she noticed Buffy's open-mouthed expression and the tears welling in her eyes, "Hey, what's up?" she checked with a frown.

"You and Angel?" the blonde said more quietly than she meant to, swallowing hard before she could speak again, "You, you had his baby?" she asked, feeling sick. Though it seemed to be clear that this wasn't her world, it still hurt Buffy to think that not only had Faith and Angel been in love, as her sister-Slayer had already told her, but that she had borne his child, something that ought to be impossible for Angel, unless..., "Is he not a vampire?"

"Spike what the hell have you been sayin, man?!" Faith demanded to know.

"Answer me!" Buffy yelled more forcefully than anyone had ever heard her say anything.

"Yeah, he's a vampire, but yeah, I had his kid" the dark-haired Slayer said eventually, a little more subdued than she usually was. Wes shifted awkwardly behind her, never much liking this subject being brought up, and Spike was feeling a little bad for causing this semi-argument between two women that meant so much to him.

"What is this place?" Buffy cried as she got to her feet, "With you thinking we're in love" she gestured at Spike, "and you and Angel being all..." she said to Faith her sentence fading out as she found she couldn't even bring herself to say the words, "I must be in hell"

As she finished speaking, Buffy pushed past Faith and hurried out of the door.

"Bugger" Spike cursed, going after her as the others looked on, "Buffy!" the vampire yelled as he hurried down the steps behind her and they both ran out into the daylight. The Slayer was aggravated to remember that Spike had the Gem of Amara here and could follow her anywhere at any time of day. Since he had an invite to her home she couldn't even hide there. In fact it was likely he had a free pass into all her friends homes too, and she could only go to them if they lived in the same places as in her own world anyway, there was nothing to say they would.

"Buffy!" Spike called again as he caught up to her and grabbed her arm, spinning her around to face him, "Luv, where are you going?"

"I don't know" she admitted, pulling her arm free from his grasp, "Away from here, from you, and her. This is not my world, it can't be" she said firmly, shaking her head as tears built up in her eyes once again, "I hate this"

"I know pet, and I'm sorry you're so confused" he sympathised, wincing at the sight of the woman who was to all intents and purposes the same woman he was in love with, in floods of tears, looking terrified. On instinct he wrapped his arms around her and although she tensed at first she eventually relaxed against him and let herself be held by the person she saw as such an enemy in her own world.

"I take it Faith and Angel aren't so close where you're from?" he said gently as he held onto her, "You got a thing for old Peaches have you?" he asked, finding it strange since neither Angel nor Buffy had ever had such feeling for each other here, a fact made obvious by their affection towards Faith and himself respectively.

"We're in love" she mumbled against his chest, "Or we were" she admitted as she lifted her head from Spike's chest and looked up at him with red-rimmed eyes.

There was an intense moment when they both just stood and stared at each other, and for a few seconds, Spike could imagine it was his Buffy in his arms. She looked so sweet, so innocent, so much the lost little girl he was used to taking care of. It took every shred of willpower he had not to lean in closer and kiss her, but he managed not to, and a second later she'd pulled out of his arms, looking a little embarrassed that she'd been there... again.

"Er, right then" Spike said, shaking his head to clear the fog in it, "So, things are very different in your world then"

"Very different" Buffy echoed, nodding in agreement, "How did Faith and Angel... When was Connor born?" she checked, out of twisted curiosity.

"He'll be two and half this Summer, not such a baby anymore" he smiled as he thought of the little boy that had learnt to call him Uncle Spike and always loved it when he and Aunt Buffy visited him in LA, "Happened the first time Faith and Angel sealed the deal. He lost his soul, little Faithie gained a bun in her oven" he explained, "It was you that had to send the bugger to Hell in Acathla's handbasket, she was too mixed up and fragile by then, Wes wouldn't hear of her fightin'. Course old Angelus was too evil even for Hades. Must've been, since it spat him back out, two hundred years later for him, just a few short months for us"

"And he was Angel again?" Buffy guessed, since that was what had happened in the 'real' world.

"He was" Spike nodded, "Course by that time, Faith had learnt to lean on Wes, and she had a tough time bringing up a kid even with help" he explained, "Time came when neither her nor the Great Poofter could handle it anymore and he pissed off to LA, taking Connor with him"

"Faith let her baby go, just like that?" Buffy frowned. She knew her sister Slayer to be tough and nasty, even evil, but she couldn't understand how she could give up her own flesh and blood, especially not this version who seemed much nicer somehow.

"No, not just like that" Spike shook his head, "There were tears and tantrums, but ultimately, she was just too young, and the Hellmouth's no place for a Little Bit"

Buffy smiled at the term the Spike of her world so often used to describe Dawn. Of course in this world she didn't exist but there was a child who was likely the Key, and here Spike was again, getting all big brothery and coming up with that same cute nickname for the kid.

"Does she visit him?" Buffy was interested to know, "Faith, I mean, does she go to see Angel and her son"

"Mostly on special occasions, or when her maternal instincts kick in real strong" Spike told her, "She never really made the connection with him that you'd expect, but she was just a kid herself when she had him. Plus given how Angel turned after their little time together... She can't feel the same about him either"

"I get that" Buffy nodded, knowing something had seriously changed for her too after the Angelus side of Angel was revealed.

As much as she'd still loved him there was something buried deep in her heart, a constant niggling feeling of fear and mistrust. If Faith had to deal with carrying and giving birth to a child too, a being borne of a vampire she had loved and who had turned on her so viciously, it must be so hard for her to feel anything normal for Angel anymore.

"It must be weird for Wesley" she thought aloud, not really meaning to have said it, only think it.

"Doesn't seem to matter to him that he wasn't Faithie's first choice" Spike shrugged, "I doubt she was the first woman he had either, though honestly she might've been. He was a little more of a geek than he is these days" the vampire chuckled at the memory of the semi-dork who he'd originally met as Faith's Watcher. Wes had come a long way since then, and in large part since he had fallen in love with his charge.

"Faith and Angel, then Faith and Wes" Buffy recounted, "and me and you" she said, glancing at Spike, "It's all a little weird from where I'm standing" she admitted.

"'S a bit weird standin' here lookin' at you, knowing you're not her" Spike smiled sadly, "Bloody wish you were"

"I'm sorry" the blonde apologised, "but honestly I don't know how I got here, and I'd rather be back where I belong too. Things make a lot more sense there"

"You're like Faith there, aren't you?" Spike asked her with a look, "I dunno why but I get this 'seriously in charge' vibe from you. Buffy, _my_ Buffy, she doesn't really have that"

"Yeah, I was the Slayer first in my world" she nodded, feeling a little weird to hear Spike say 'my Buffy' the way he just did. Still, she couldn't argue or make a fuss. In this world Buffy was his girlfriend, it just wasn't really her.

"And me and you, we're just mates are we?" he asked, making the Slayer glance away sharply. For some reason she felt bad about the fact she and Spike were enemies where she came from and yet she didn't know why. It wasn't as if it were an insult to this version of the vampire. She was sure if the one in her world were like this she would be his friend, but as things stood...

"We're not even that are we?" Spike said sadly, "We bloody hate each other" he said, a statement more than a question, since he could tell from the look on her face that he was right, "Makes sense I s'pose, explains why you were in such a state finding me in the shower the other day"

"It was a little shocking" Buffy admitted with a smile, "but, for what it's worth, you're different to the Spike in my world. Maybe if he was more like you, well, maybe things would be different" she said, feeling a little weird about being so nice towards him. She was actually worried about hurting his feelings, but then this really wasn't the Spike she knew.

* * *

"Spike, what a nice surprise" Joyce smiled as she opened the door to let him inside. 

"Hello, Joyce" the vampire greeted her, not moving to go inside. Of course it hadn't occurred to Mrs Summers that it was because he couldn't actually cross the threshold since Buffy's witch friends had done their little reverse-invitation spell.

"Spike!" the Slayer calling his name startled him slightly as did the grin on her face when she came into view, "Hey, I'm glad you're here" she told him.

"Me too!" Dawn was smiling as she hurried down the stairs to join her mother and sister in the hall.

"Well, aren't I Mr Popular this evening" the vampire shifted a little uncomfortably. As much as he loved female attention it was a little weird to find yourself being stared at, grinned at, and greeted in overly friendly fashion by a young teen, her mother, and an alternate version of her sister who was in fact the one person in the world that Spike loved more than anyone else.

"Er, do you all want to come outside or is someone going to take a chance of pissing off Buffy... the other Buffy, by inviting me in?" he checked.

"Oh, come in!" in they all chorused, laughing at themselves straight after as Spike stepped through the lack of invisible barrier into the hallway, and Joyce shut the door behind him.

"Honestly, Spike, I don't understand why Buffy ever wanted to stop you coming around anyway" Joyce complained, "It was a little over the top, I thought"

"Totally!" Dawn agreed as the Summers women and Spike all went through to the living room and sat down.

"To be honest I came to ask the Slayer here how she was doing after Rupert and all his bloody questions" he rolled his eyes, "Honestly, the Watcher can go a bit OTT on the interrogation bit at times"

"It was fine" Buffy smiled, grateful for his concern, "Though he kind of freaked when I told him about Connor. Apparently Angel and Faith were never even together here"

"Angel and Faith?" Spike choked on the cookie he'd just taken from the selection Joyce offered him, "Bloody hell, that's some twisted dimension you come from" he laughed, "Seems like everybody's shagging the wrong person or... oh bugger!" he swore as tears filled the Slayer's eyes and she bolted from his side, up the stairs out of view. Of course he hadn't meant it was wrong for himself and Buffy to be together, after all it was all he really wanted, but this version of the Slayer had just proved again she was much more fragile than her counterpart who belonged in this world.

"I didn't mean to..." he was half way through asking if he should go after her when an almighty crash caught everyone's attention and they turned to see the front door was no longer on it's hinges.

_To Be Continued...  
_


	11. Chapter 10 : Facing Fears

**A/N : A few more shocks and surprises for you...  
**_**(For disclaimer, etc. - see chapter 1)**_

Chapter 10 - Facing Fears

"Bloody hell!" Spike cursed, scrambling to his feet and facing the space where the front door had once been. He pulled Dawn and Joyce behind him and both look petrified as a small blonde woman they all knew now as Glory stepped into the house and smiled.

"Hey, sorry to just barge in on the family gathering" she said, sounding all sweetness and light for a moment, "but I need to talk to that pesky Slayer girl who didn't disappear like she was supposed to, and still has my Key!" she said, getting more and more frustrated, angry, and crazy-looking as she went on.

"Disappear?" Spike frowned, wondering what the Hell-God meant by that. She didn't seem the type to mince her words. If she meant she wanted the Slayer dead then she would've said so. Disappear suggested actual vanishing, disintegrating, or... being pulled out of this world into another perhaps?

"Seems your little dimension jumpin' plan didn't go so well then" Spike smirked, liking the fact he knew more than this skank did right now. She seemed to think her spell or whatever had done no good at all when in fact it had done something in seemingly trading one Buffy for another across dimensions.

"Like it matters" Glory laughed, rolling her eyes, "Boys, take care of this pesky vampire with the radioactive head" she instructed them with a wave of her hand as a flock of minions appeared from beyond the door, all rushing at Spike. A couple also went for Joyce and Dawn, but Spike protected them as he knew Buffy would want him to, despatching them easily. Unfortunately the twenty or so that followed over-powered him and held him tight. Another pair picked up the coffee table, smashing it on the floor til one lone minion stood before Spike, a shard of wood in his hand.

"Ooh, look how feisty he is" Glory said with glee, clapping her hands like an excited child as she watched her minions attempt to dust Spike who was constantly fighting back, making it impossible for Jinx to take proper aim at his heart with the make-shift stake. Dawn screamed and cried as her friend, the vampire, was beaten and almost killed. Joyce tried to shield her from the violence and found even she herself could not bear to watch as they huddled in the corner.

"Stop!" a voice from the stairs caught everyone's attention and they all looked up to see Buffy descending the stairs, "Let him go!"

"Oh, look, little Miss High-and-Mighty Slayer thinks she can tell me what to do?" Glory snapped, "Not a chance, sweetie. Not unless you give me my Key!"

"Your Key?" she scoffed, and Spike stopped struggling against his would-be captors, who seemed to have forgotten about him for the moment anyway, and stared up at the Slayer with a frown on his face. She looked and sounded like his Buffy, the one that belonged here, more so now than she had all day today or yesterday. He doubted they'd been switched back so suddenly, and yet the original change over must've been pretty fast.

"Yes, my Key, you idiot girl!" Glory snapped, becoming agitated once again, "Now, where is it? You tell me or I swear I get with the killing. Starting with your boyfriend here" she said with a smirk as she took the stake from Jinx's hand and aimed it at Spike's chest. She'd seen the look that passed between Slayer and vampire as Buffy had appeared on the stairs. Very touching if you were the sappy kind, very twisted in reality given their true natures, but ultimately it worked to Glory's advantage.

"No" Buffy gasped, her faked bravado slipping when she realised just how serious her apparent enemy was about despatching Spike, "Let him go!" she urged the other blonde, who grinned. She loved the panic she could see and smell coming off the Slayer in great tidal waves.

"What's he worth to you, Slayer?" Glory asked, reaching out a hand to Spike's face and walking her fingers down his cheek, "He's kinda hot, for a cold-blooded" she considered, "but he won't be, in precisely ten seconds if I don't get my Key!" she suddenly snapped and Buffy fought to keep her emotions in check as Spike winced at the feeling of the stake pressed against his breast-bone.

"I don't have it here, but I can get it" the Slayer said quickly, "The Key, I'll get it for you, if you let Spike go" she said bravely as Dawn shook violently, crying in her mothers arms.

"Making deals now, huh?" Glory smirked, "Fine. I'll play" she agreed easily, "but the vampire comes with us until I get my Key"

Buffy looked first relieved then shocked and upset as she watched the scruffy little minions drag her lover away. Okay, so this Spike wasn't really hers to claim but he was the closest thing she had here in this world, and the thought he might die at the hands of some Hell Goddess frightened the life out of her. She knew there was nothing she could do to change this though as Glory followed her tribe of demon helpers to the door and turned back to look at the clearly rattled Summers family.

"You have until sunrise to bring me my Key" she said with an evil smile, "Or BleachBoy fries, and I come back for the rest of your sorry little band of wannabes, Slayer" she said simply before she was suddenly gone.

"Mom" Dawn whimpered, "What do we do?"

"I don't know, honey" she admitted, looking to Buffy for an answer as she held her younger daughter close, stroking her hair.

"Oh my God" the blonde exclaimed as she made it off the bottom of the stairs at last, running her hands over her face and then back through her hair as she paced the room apparently in shock, "Oh God, what do I do?"

"Sweetheart, you do have a plan, don't you?" her mother prompted, "To save Spike, without handing over the Key?"

"Uh, the Key, yeah" she echoed, suddenly looking at her mother with a strange expression, "I can't give her the Key, I don't even know what it is!" she admitted.

"It's me, Buffy" Dawn gulped, her tears starting to run dry by now, "I'm the Key"

The Slayer stared at the girl she'd learnt was her little sister in this world, wondering what all this meant and how she was supposed to cope with it. The choice before her seemed to be sacrifice her sister to a demon woman, or let the alternate version of her lover die at the hands of the same enemy.

"I can't do this" she said shaking her head, "I'm not supposed to do this, this is Faith's job, I just..." she came close to tears and Joyce interrupted.

"It's okay, honey" she assured her, not really believing it, but knowing somehow she had to hold it together, even when nobody else seemed able, "I'll call Rupert, he'll know what to do" she suggested, hoping she was right as she let go of her still shaking daughter and headed for the phone.

"I don't know how to deal with this" Buffy shook her head, "How to be the hero. It's not me"

"You're wrong" Dawn corrected her, sniffing still, "The other Buffy, she knows how to do this, which means you do too, you just never had to where you're from, cos you always had Faith and Spike to help you"

"You think I can save you and Spike and everybody from that... that demon-woman who can blow open doors without even trying?!" she checked, wondering if this Key girl was in fact insane.

"I know you can" she nodded her head, "I believe in you, Buffy. You're my sister, no matter what world you're from, and I know you can do this"

The Slayer herself appreciated the sentiment but she wasn't so sure.

* * *

"I feel a little bad, making you sleep down here" Buffy said guiltily as Spike laid out on the couch for the night once again.

After many hours of pounding the books, Wes had several theories about alternate realities but as yet no concrete way for Buffy to dimension jump back to where she came from. In the meantime, it seemed this version of Miss Summers was stuck where she was, with an alternate Spike who was much friendlier than the one from her own world.

"That an invite to come share with you now is it pet?" the vampire asked, head tilted to one side as he stared at her with a suggestive smirk on her lips.

"You wish" she rolled her eyes, not half so offended by his remark as she might've been in her own reality, faced with what she considered to be the real Spike.

"Not denying it, luv" he admitted, and watched her face fall, "Sorry, Slayer, not fair of me"

"It's okay" she shrugged, "You're suffering in this just as much as I am. I miss the versions of my family and friends that I know, and you miss your version of, well, me"

"That I do, pet" he nodded as she sat down in the armchair, watching him as he laid on the couch with his arm behind his head, staring at the ceiling, recounting memories, "She means bloody everything to me, has since the first day I laid my soddin' eyes on her" he smiled to himself, "I was a fool for love. Gave up the world I knew, my black goddess, Drusilla, the reputation I'd worked so bloody hard for. None of it meant a damn thing anymore. I was head over heels for Buffy Summers, latest Slayer, and there wasn't a damn thing I could do about it"

"I fell for someone like that once" Buffy sighed, staring at her hands in her lap, "I'd've given up everything for him, but Angel..." she trailed off when she realised this wasn't the time or place to be sharing, and certainly the wrong person to be telling this to.

"But Angel...?" Spike urged her, much to her surprise, "Go on, pet"

"I guess he didn't love me the way I loved him" she sighed, "He said that he did but I could never have walked away from him, the way he walked away from me. No matter how much us being together hurt us and others around us, it was worse when he left" her voice shook with tears and Spike nodded that he understood, after all he was suffering a little of that pain right now. Despite the fact he was sitting here, not three feet from the girl he loved, it wasn't really her at all, and it hurt his heart to think this could potentially be the best things ever got. There were no guarantees they'd be able to change the two versions of Buffy back.

"'S a bugger, unrequited love" he said softly, swinging his legs off the couch and coming to sit beside her, handing a tissue to the Slayer, from the box on the coffee table, "'S not the easiest of things even when you're both feelin' it either"

"Tell me about it" Buffy agreed with half a smile, "Y'know in my world, you still... well, the other Spike, he says he loves me" she admitted, not really sure why she was doing so and yet it didn't feel so bad to say it out loud right now.

"But you don't feel the same?" he asked curiously, also wondering why he even wanted to know, but feeling he needed to somehow.

"He's not like you" she shook her head, "Sometimes he helps out but he's still mostly evil, despite the chip and everything"

"Chip?" Spike frowned, not understanding.

"It's complicated" Buffy sighed, not hugely surprised that this alterna-Spike didn't need the behavioural modification technology that controlled the same vampire in her own dimension, after all this version was just so much nicer, "Point is, you're not such a nice guy in my world as you are here" she said softly as she turned to look at him, his face just inches from her own.

"'S a funny thing" he said, just as quietly, "Cos 'I'm the boss' vibe not withstanding" he smirked, pushing her hair behind her ear as his eyes studied every feature of her face, "You're just the same, just as beautiful, you are..." he said, words trailing away as his hand slipped behind her head and his lips descended onto her own.

_To Be Continued...  
_


	12. Chapter 11 : Making Choices

**A/N : Apologies for the lack of updateage, first I got a little writers block, then the site had problems and I couldn't upload.  
_(For disclaimer, etc. - see chapter 1)_**

Chapter 11 - Making Choices

"So when you called and said life-and-death situation, that wasn't just you being all British and exaggeraty?" Xander checked with a nervous smile as the Scooby Gang sat around the living room of 1630 Revello Drive, contemplating the very real possibility of Glory coming back at some point and picking them off one by one, the only other option apparently being handing over the Key a.k.a. Dawnie.

"Unfortunately I was being perfectly serious" Giles confirmed to Xander and the others, "It would seem that Glory had plans to rid herself of the Slayer and since this plan failed she is now attacking Buffy via her friends and loved ones... and Spike, apparently" he added with a slight frown.

"If she wants to freak me out then she's doing it right" the alterna-Buffy told the group, "I can't hand over Dawn, she's my sister, even if this isn't my world" she said, casting a small smile at the young girl who responded in kind. They both felt the strangest kind of link between themselves despite the fact one was a ball of energy and the other was from a different dimension entirely, "And I can't let anything happen to Spike either" Buffy shook her head, reminding the Scoobies of the freaky connection between the alternate world Slayer and the bleached blond vamp they all usually despised.

"Indeed" Giles cleared his throat and took off his spectacles, polishing them on a handkerchief, "Despite the, er, indifference that some of us may feel towards Spike" he said, looking pointedly at Xander, "If Glory does not get what she wants she will kill him, and no doubt then come after the rest of us. We can't afford to let that happen"

"So, do we have a plan?" Willow asked, looking worried, "I mean, as far as Glory fighting arsenal goes, we don't exactly have a lot to work with" she said sadly, "Not even the magicks, since she seems pretty invulnerable to... well, everything"

"A-and the teleportation spell is no good" Tara added, "It's just too dangerous"

"Agreed" Giles nodded, "However, we do have one advantage over her at the moment" he pointed out, "She is currently expecting us to take the Key to her, or sit here and wait for her attack"

"She wouldn't be expecting us to attack her" Buffy said suddenly getting it, "Which is great except, hello, she's too strong for us to take on"

"Would she guard Spike herself do you think?" Joyce asked from the side. She wasn't really a part of the Scooby meeting, but since all this involved both her daughters and the rest of the gang, she felt she ought to sit in, especially since this alternate version of her eldest was much less sure of herself right now than the original might've been.

"From what I've seen of Glory I don't suppose for a moment she would have the patience to spend too long in Spike's company" Giles told her, "Why do you ask?"

"Well those little... things that worked for her" she said waving a hand vaguely, indicating someone or something lacking in height, "If they were guarding Spike, couldn't you rescue him? They didn't seem very strong and you have quite the little army here" she suggested, feeling very aware of how dumb her plan might be, but in the absence of her real daughter's strategising brain, she felt compelled to help if she could.

"Hey, ten points for, Mrs S" Xander grinned, "An excellent plan"

"Indeed, Joyce, you may have a point there" Giles agreed.

"Okay, so we get weapons and... do I have weapons?" Buffy frowned, looking around the group who all nodded that yes, she did indeed own such things.

"In the trunk behind the couch, sweetie" Willow gestured over to the very container she spoke of and Buffy's eyes went wide as she went over to the fancy chest and opened it up.

"Wow, check this out" she said, her tone indicating both awe and a little fear as she pulled out a crossbow and fingered the mechanism, "I guess it's time to be the Slayer, huh?" she smiled nervously as the gang all got to their feet and prepared themselves for a battle.

Giles and Joyce remained seated as the young people decided what weapons they would take with them and discussed a more precise plan of attack.

"Rupert, I had another idea I wanted to share with you" Buffy's Mom admitted, moving to sit closer to the Watcher, "When that Glory person was here, she said her plans to make Buffy disappear hadn't worked" she recalled, "I was wondering, do you think that whatever she did to try and make Buffy vanish actually led to her being traded for this version of Buffy?" she asked uncertain really of what she was even suggesting. It just seemed like a possible theory and she thought she ought to share. After all, if she was wrong there was no harm done, but if she was right, there was every chance it was very important information she was imparting to Mr Giles.

"Another excellent point, Joyce" he smiled at her, "Really that's a very interesting theory, and highly possibly" he said as he considered it, "After all, we do know that Glory does have the ability to perform spells and such, and she is so very determined to get to the Key that she believes Buffy is hiding..."

"Giles" Anya interrupted his thought process by demanding his attention, "Aren't you going to select something sharp and pointy from the box so we can go and save the vampire that we really ought to dust given what he is but..."

"Yes, Anya, thank you" Giles interrupted, waving a dismissive hand, hoping she would shut up, "I'll be ready in a moment. You can all head outside I'll be right with you"

The Scoobies did as they were told, leaving Giles and Joyce alone again for a moment. He went over to the weapons chest and pulled out a two headed axe.

"Ah, yes" he smiled, "I'm sure this will do nicely"

"Be careful, Rupert" Joyce told him, "And... please, take care of Buffy. I know she's not really..., well, she's not exactly the same girl that I brought into the world but..."

"I know exactly what you mean" he assured her, putting a hand to her arm in a comforting gesture, "It will all turn out well, Joyce, I assure you" he told her, "The moment we return from this mission I'll be sure to contact you, and we will work on that theory of yours"

She nodded in response, not saying a word as the Watcher left the house and went with the Scoobies and the Slayer to track down Glory and save Spike.

* * *

Buffy's brain was in meltdown, with no possible hope of regaining the ability to think clearly any time soon. Spike was kissing her, not the Spike she knew, he was an alternate version, but still, he was a vampire, he had once been one of the most evil beings to walk the Earth, and he was kissing her. What really scared Buffy was that despite her better judgement she was enjoying it, and was actually kissing him back. It felt good, better than good, to be wanted like this, and it was pretty obvious how much he both loved and wanted her from the way he kissed her, the way he held her. It was crazy and wrong, that much was obvious to Buffy, and yet the overwhelmingly good feelings she was getting tipped the scale in favour of continuing the moment instead of pushing this man away.

Eventually she was forced to part her lips from his, if only to breathe a while. She was going pass out if her body didn't get oxygen soon, and despite her own good sense which should have thought this whole situation was disgusting, a voice sang in her head at how delightful it would be to have Spike kiss her into a virtually unconscious state for a while longer.

"Okay" she said, gasping in air, "Um, yeah, so that wasn't supposed to happen" she said quickly, getting up off the couch onto shaky legs and almost falling straight back down again. She steadied herself and faced away from Spike, running her hands back through her hair, trying to calm herself down from that rather explosive kiss.

"Yeah, sorry 'bout that, luv" Spike apologised from his position still sitting on the couch, "Wasn't thinking there... or rather I was but..."

"Not about me?" she guessed as she glanced back at him.

"Bloody crazy thing is, pet, it is you" he told her, shaking his head, "Same looks, same voice, same everything, more-or-less. Strikes me situations are different in our dimensions or what-not, but people, we're pretty much the same"

"No, no way" Buffy shook her head, "You could not be more different here to my world, and Faith, she's so not going to be gracing the cover of Sanity Fair where I come from"

"Faith might've been a hero in your world given half the chance" Spike pointed out, "But from what you say, you were always there, so she never had to be"

Buffy thought about that for a moment, her mouth opening and closing like a landed fish as she tried to think of a retort and came up with precisely nothing. After all, Spike may have a point there. The environment you grew up in, or situations you found yourself in did shape you as a person. That much was proven by the alternate reality created by Cordelia's wish two years ago. Willow was a skanky vampire there, so far removed from the sweet little Wicca her friends all knew and loved.

"Are you trying to tell me that the Spike in my world could be this totally great guy if we'd just... given him a chance?" she scoffed, wondering actually if that was such a stupid question, given the evidence that sat before her right now, giving her a look she didn't appreciate.

"I'm no saint, luv" he told her simply, "Hazard a guess my past and the fella in your world's own aren't dissimilar, seems we got set on different paths by falling in love with you, and the way Buffy reacted to that" he said, using her name to represent both herself and the other version who really belonged here.

Of course the Slayer didn't want to believe for a second that she was the only reason Spike wasn't so sweet and wonderful as this in her own dimension, didn't want to contemplate the fact that she could love him as easily as her alternate self did if she'd just let it happen.

"You don't know that" she forced out, knowing it was a lame answer, but determined not to let him think he was right. He still had that same annoying streak as the Spike she knew, albeit less prominent.

"Tell you one thing I do know, pet" he said as he got to his feet and moved toward her, standing incredibly close and looking down into her wide eyes, "I kissed you, and you kissed me back. You wanted what I was offering and if I wanted it to happen, I could have you flat on your back and half way to bloody ecstasy in no time at all" he smirked, "but I'll save it for my real woman, cos you just proved without a shadow of a doubt, you ain't her" he said before he walked away, leaving Buffy quite literally shaking. She wasn't certain what bothered her more. The fact that Spike would say these things to her, even in this other world, or the fact she knew he was perfectly right.

_To Be Continued...  
_


	13. Chapter 12 : Revelations

**A/N : Just to let you know, the chapter following this one is set to be the last!  
**_**(For disclaimer, etc. - see chapter 1)**_

Chapter 12 - Revelations

"Okay so... here we are" Buffy said nervously as she stood a little way from the house where Glory was holed up with her many minions and Spike for a captive.

"You okay, sweetie?" Willow checked, feeling kind of bad for the Slayer's other-self, after all she didn't have to do this thing in her world, Faith was the main Slayer she was just the back-up.

"Yeah, I guess" Buffy told her with a nod and a shaky smile, "I can totally do this" she told both her friend and herself.

"We believe in you, Buff" Xander promised her, "And we're right here with you, all the way"

"Oh yes, we're right behind you" Anya agreed with enthusiasm, "Both in real terms and figuratively speaking"

"Thanks" Buffy smiled back the strange girl who she didn't see much of in her own universe. Though Willow, Tara, Xander, and Anya were all friends of hers, she spent most of her time with Spike or Faith and Wesley. They were the main gang, as it were, the main fighting force, with Faith playing leader. Buffy really wasn't used to taking over that role like this.

With a deep breath, she adjusted her grip on the sword she held and prepared herself for battle. The group rushed in as one, ready for any resistance they encountered. Only two of Glory's minions awaited them, but more were soon alerted to the attack and a fight ensued.

"Buffy, take the stairs, try to find Spike" Giles advised her as he and the others fended off the attack of the creatures who would keep them from Glory's main lair.

The Slayer was physically shaking and felt nauseous as she turned towards the staircase. She barely put her foot on the first step when the elevator to her right dinged and the doors opened, revealing a rather badly beaten Spike.

"Oh my God" she gasped as she ran to him and caught him just before he collapsed.

"Slayer" he said forcing a smile. He was so pleased to know she'd come for him, and yet in too much pain to fully appreciate the fact she was here with her arms around him. If only it were the real Buffy, the one he'd fallen in love with...

"We have to get out of here" she said, turning around and spotting that her two Wiccan friends had just flown a pair of demons across the room with a spell, causing the beings to hit the wall with a crunch and fall to the floor in an unconscious heap.

"Will! Tara!" Buffy called to them and they hurried over, "Get Spike out" she told them, as they took over supporting him, one on either side, "I'll clean up here" the Slayer said, sounding so much like the Buffy they knew it was shocking.

"Buffy!" Giles tried to yell but found it almost impossible as a creature squeezed down hard on his throat with the handle of his own axe.

The Slayer ran over, kicking the demon in the head so he dropped the weapon, then spun around grabbing the axe from the floor and embedding it in the creatures back. Next she moved to where Xander and Anya had been cornered by two of the same demons and easily slew them both with the sword she'd brought along for her own defence.

As she stood there amongst the brown bodies of demons, being gawked at by her three astonished accomplices the building suddenly shook like a mild earthquake rumbling through.

"I think maybe we pissed off the Goddess" Xander suggested.

"Run!" Buffy commanded them as the four hurried outside and away. It didn't thrill any of them to know that Glory was now severely brassed off and highly likely to come and smite them all down as only a god could. At least they'd saved Spike, Buffy was grateful for that. She'd lead a band of heroes into battle and they'd won for now - it felt good.

* * *

"This is giving me a headache" Buffy sighed as she closed the book she'd been reading. She, Spike, Faith, and Wes were still trying to figure out exactly how she'd gotten here, and how on Earth she was supposed to get switched back with the version of Buffy who belonged in this world. So far no answers seemed to be obvious and despite the fact Wes had run off several hours ago to the Magic Box saying he was almost certain he was onto something, they'd not heard from him since and all three that remained in the apartment were becoming restless. They were all much more used to the hacking and slashing side of being a hero, and much less enamoured with the book learning.

"Relax, B" Faith said as she stood from her cross legged position on the floor and stretched out her limbs, "Just a little longer and Wes'll have his Eureka moment" she assured her sister-Slayer.

"Eureka!" Wesley suddenly declared as he crashed to the apartment with an armful of books, a couple of computer disks, and a scroll under his arm.

"He actually says the word?" Buffy made a face at Spike who couldn't help but smirk as he nodded. He wasn't in the best mood with the blonde right now after their little spat back at the house, but he couldn't really blame her for acting the way she had. This wasn't her world, she wasn't his Buffy, not really.

"What you got, Wes?" Faith was eager to learn as Wes attempted to get his breath back, dumping all the items he'd been carrying onto the coffee table and dropping himself down onto the couch.

"A spell" he said, swallowing hard, "A very powerful spell and one I believe may have gone awry"

"Well course it bloody well went awry" Spike rolled his eyes, "Who in their right bleedin' mind would want to go switchin' two versions of Buffy between worlds?"

"Ah, indeed" Wesley agreed, as he sucked in more oxygen, "After rather an extensive discussion with Willow and Tara, a little web-surfing, and research into an ancient scroll here" he said, gesturing to computer disks and the old parchment of which he spoke, "It would seem as though someone may have been trying to delete you from the world, Buffy, from your own world at least, and through some error instead pushed you into our dimension"

"So why ain't there two of her?" Faith frowned as Buffy herself tried to take in what was being said, "If she got pushed in from another place, that don't explain why the real B, or at least the one who belongs here, ended up some place else"

"Ah, but it does" Wesley corrected her, with an emphatic gesture as he explained, "As Newton explains in his third law" he quoted, "Every action has an equal and opposite reaction, meaning that if Buffy was forced into our universe, where another version already existed, that version must make room for her and plug the gap left in the world from which the first Buffy came"

"So, the long of the short of it is they traded places cos a spell someone did in another dimension got ballsed up" Spike turned Wes' long and rambling speech into his own plain and simple words, "Seems somoene wanted rid of you, luv, and instead of ridding their world of all blonde Slayers, they just replaced one with another" he told Buffy who looked both stunned and a little scared.

"Glory!" she gasped, "It has to be Glory! I was all that was standing between her and the Key so she wanted to get rid of me!"

"Great" Faith nodded once, "So we know why there was a switch, who made it, and how" she counted off on her fingers, "So the bonus question, Wes" she said facing her boyfriend, "Do we know how to switch 'em back?" she checked.

"I thought you'd never ask" he smiled, holding up a computer disk in one hand and an old scroll in the other. Clearly these were the keys to solving the problem, and everybody in the room was glad to know it.

* * *

"Buffy?" Spike said hoarsely as he came around. He'd blacked out more then once between Glory's place at the Magic Box. The gang had headed there, thinking it was probably safer in the interim since the hell goddess was likely to be severely P.O.-ed and Revello Drive would be the first place she'd go searching for them. Joyce and Dawn had been summoned from there too and were out in the main shop with the rest of the gang, checking each others injuries and making battle plans.

Buffy herself had brought Spike through to the training room and laid him out on the mats there so she could tend to the many wounds he had all over his body. The fact he wasn't the man she knew and loved didn't matter, he looked exactly the same, and it tore at her heart to see him suffering like this. After all, he'd suffered because of herself and her family, at least the other Buffy's family...

"I'm here Spike" she whispered, her fingers lightly stroking his hair back off his face, "You're going to be okay" she promised him, as tears filled her eyes. He looked so pained, so totally thrashed, and the thought that this or worse could be happening to her own Spike in her own world in her absence hit her like a freight train making her feel overly nauseous suddenly.

"She did it" he said, coughing loudly as he found the effort of speaking a little more than he'd anticipated, "Glory, she switched you" he explained.

"Oh my God" she gasped as she took it in, "So, it wasn't about me? Well, I mean, it was about Buffy but the other Buffy?" she guessed.

"She wanted rid of her" Spike explained hoarsely, "Seems her minions mucked up the spell, she thinks it didn't work at all, she doesn't know..." another coughing fit took hold of his voice and Buffy winced just at the sight and sound of the pain he was in.

"I'm so sorry" she cried, tears suddenly overtaking her, "If the other Buffy had been here, she wouldn't have let this happen to you, would she?"

"Believe me, pet, I got off light" he promised her, reaching for her hand and holding it tightly in his, "The other Slayer, my Slayer, as much as I love her, there's a chance she'd've just let me burn y'know. Damn stupid thing is I don't think I'd've minded much. I never would tell who the Key was. I'd do just about anything for my Slayer" he said, his voice falling away to a whisper and then disappearing completely as he shut his one good eye, the other being swollen to the point where it was of no use to him at all.

Since he now seemed to be sleeping once again, Buffy gently disentangled her hand from his, placed a light kiss on his forehead and headed back out into the main part of the shop.

"How's he doing?" Joyce asked, seemingly the only person who cared enough to check.

"He's sleeping again" Buffy told her mother, "He got information from Glory, and without giving anything away about Dawn" she said pointedly to Giles and Xander who were the main two who did not trust the vampire. The Slayer's sister breathed an audible sigh of relief, as did her mother.

"This information that Spike managed to get from Glory..." Giles prompted as he removed his glasses and polished them on his handkerchief.

"It's about me, and your Buffy, the one who belongs here" she explained, relaying the information she'd just learnt from Spike.

Immediately that Buffy had finished her explanation, Tara began scrabbling around amongst the books on the table, pulling out a volume she'd skimmed over earlier and dismissed at the time.

"I-I think this might be what y-you're looking for" she stammered as she handed the tome to Giles. He looked it over an nodded a couple of times.

"Indeed, Tara, you might be quite right" he agreed, "Though I confess I do think yourself and Willow will be of more use than myself in this particular matter. The workings of the spell are quite technical and would demand more power than I myself possess"

The book was swiftly passed back to the Wiccans who read over the details and decided it may be completely possible to switch the two Buffy's back, a fact that thrilled the Slayer herself in one way and almost disappointed her in another. As much as she wanted to see her own Spike again, as well as Faith and Wes, she felt she was more needed here, like she had more of a purpose. As scary as it was to lead, a part of her craved it, loved it, wanted more of it. One thing was for sure, she was a changed woman now. If and when she got home, things were going to be different.

_To Be Continued..._


	14. Chapter 13 : Back To Reality

**A/N : Apologies for the massive delay in updating. First came a general bout of writer's block, then I was busy, then I got sick, now we're back to the busy but still, thankfully I managed to get some writing and posting of fic done!  
****Here's the final chapter of this story, and I really hope it doesn't disappoint!  
**_**(For disclaimer, etc. - see chapter 1)**_

Chapter 13 - Back to Reality

"You alright, luv?" Spike asked a the sat on the ladder to the balcony in the Magic Box watching Buffy as she in turn watched Wesley, Willow, and Tara prepare for the spell that would switch herself and her other-self back to where they ought to be.

"I guess" she shrugged her shoulders as she turned to glance at him, "It's all kinda weird, knowing I'm going home when this place looks like it should be home anyway"

"Must be a bit strange, I'd wager" he nodded, glancing down at the ground, "Certainly is from where I'm sittin', which is why I got so annoyed with you before. I probably shouldn't've snapped like I did, pet, I'm sorry" he said, almost unable to look at her as he apologised.

"It's okay" Buffy assured him with a smile, "Honestly, you just freaked me out, told me a few things I didn't really want to hear, about the Spike in my world"

"'S not my place to say that how you treat him made him what he is" he shook his head, feeling a little strange talking about an alternate version of his self but carrying on regardless, "Could be that we're completely different, him and me. Maybe he doesn't have what it takes to be good like I do"

"Maybe" Buffy considered, "but maybe he does, and I just never gave him a chance to prove it" she sighed, "So much here is like my world, the places, the people even. Faith is like she was before the badness, Wes is just as smart plus a few degrees cooler" she smiled as she looked around the room at the gang, "Everybody else seems the same, there's just a couple of blanks is all" she said, looking a little sad.

"Your sis and your Watcher, right?" Spike checked and she nodded he was right, "Not to worry, pet. Wes and the Wiccas'll work up some mojo, you'll be home before you know it"

"And you'll get your Buffy back" she smiled, "Don't tell me that's not why you're really here for this spell"

"Got to admit I've bloody missed her" Spike told her, "Funny how two people who look so much alike can be so different" he mused.

"And how some people can be just the same" she said thoughtfully as their eyes met and he smiled slightly as he realised something. Things were going to be different after this spell, this Buffy was going to give her Spike a chance, or at least it seemed that way. Being here had changed her, seeing the world from a new perspective had given her a different point of view on things. He was about to make a comment about it when Wes called for their attention.

"Where do you need me?" Buffy asked and Willow took her hand positioning the blonde in the centre of a pentogram drawn out on the floor.

"Okay, now Spike, Faith" she called them over next and the two of them joined Wes, Willow, and Tara in forming a circle as Xander and Anya stood back and watched the proceedings unfold.

"Just relax, Buffy" Wesley told her, "There'll be a lot of words that won't mean much to you, possibly some light and a slight pulling sensation"

"And then I'll be back where I belong?" she guessed, and he confirmed she was correct with a single nod.

Taking a deep breath, Buffy closed her eyes and waited to be whisked away to her own reality, praying to The Powers That Be that this worked. The last thing she saw before she closed her eyes was Spike, and somehow she knew when she got home he'd be one of the first things she wanted to see too.

* * *

"How much longer is this going to take?" Buffy asked Giles as he attempted to translate a passage in the book in his hand. This particular part of the spell seemed to be in a completely different language to the rest and had baffled the poor witches to no end. Giles had to admit his demon languages were a little rusty and this one in particular was giving him terrible trouble. Anya's offer to help had been worse than useless as she too had retained little knowledge of such things and garbled her way through two sentences speaking of canoes and jam before Giles decided to take the book away from her again.

"I really couldn't say, Buffy" he sighed, putting the book down in the table, removing his glasses, and rubbing his tired eyes, "In all honesty, I'm finding this extremely difficult"

"And you really can't do the spell without it?" Xander checked from across the research table.

"Unfortunately not" Giles admitted with a shake of his head, "I wish it were possible but... this may take considerably longer than any of us imagined"

"Great" Buffy sighed as she paced slowly up and down the Magic Box. She hated this, the waiting for something to happen, she always hated it. At least she usually had Spike to take her mind off things when she needed him to. She smiled when she realised this world's Spike was just as good at that kind of thing, then frowned when she realised that was something she'd have to confess to when she got back where she belonged - if she ever did get back, she thought, as she glanced at Giles still struggling over the text before him.

Again she turned and started another length of the shop when suddenly something made her stop. She lifted her foot to take another step but it was as if some unseen force was pushing her back, making her stand still and yet at the same time she felt as if she were being pulled apart, dragged out of her own body. She flinched a little, struggling against a force she couldn't see, though nobody around her seemed to really notice.

Forcing her feet to walk she headed towards the door that led to the training room, finding that with effort she could make herself move, though the pulling sensation remained. It was only as she reached for the door knob that she realised what was happening. A blinding flash of light hit her right between the eyes, and then it was over.

* * *

"Woah" Buffy breathed as the brightness before her cleared and pure momentum drove her to open and walk through the door she realised was in front of her. She frowned as she looked around and realised she was in the training room at the back of the Magic Box. Glancing at all four walls, the floor, and everything she was fairly certain this was her room, and not Faith's, which surely could only mean one thing. She was home.

A sound off to her left made her spin around and it was only just now she noticed Spike, laid out on some mats in the corner, badly beaten and bruised.

"Oh my God" she gasped at the sight of him, her hand going to her face as she moved closer to him.

"Buffy?" he asked as his good eye opened and he gazed up at her.

"I'm here" she said, on auto-pilot as she knelt down beside him, "What happened to you?" she asked and he frowned a little, though the change in his expression was barely noticeable underneath all is bruises.

"Mostly Glory, pet" he reminded her, "Specifically, glass, flames, and fists that pack a mightier punch than they ought to" he listed, wincing as the effort of talking caused certain parts of his aching body to complain, "Didn't bother me though, pet, so I won't have you feelin' guilty, and you tell the Bit to hush her noise too" he told her, "Must've apologised ten bloody times for the state I was in, and it wasn't her fault" he said firmly, "Never was gonna give up her identity, not to that hell-bitch, let the evil thing kill me first... nearly bloody did" he said as he considered how true the statement really was.

Tears filled Buffy's eyes as she took in what had happened, the fact that it seemed Spike had taken on Glory for the sake of herself and Dawn, the fact he was laying here so badly beaten on her account, when she hadn't actually been here. Of course another Buffy had, one that loved Spike, which made her wonder if his faithfulness came from the fact he'd gotten closer to the other Buffy than she would ever allow him to get. She pushed that thought from her mind as he looked up at her with what seemed to be a worried gaze.

"Buffy..." he said her name too softly, the only way he could find to speak in his current state.

"I'm sorry" was all she could find to say in reply as she leant down over him and put her lips to his in a soft, tender kiss. When she pulled away a moment later he was looking at her strangely, and she knew he knew the truth.

"Buffy?" this time it was a question, he wanted to be sure he wasn't hallucinating the fact that the real Slayer, the one who belonged in this world, had just willingly kissed him.

"Hi honey, I'm home" she smiled as a tear escaped and ran down her cheek, "And it looks like I'm just in time" she said, running her fingers gently through his hair and down his cheek, "Glory means business now, huh?"

"That she does, pet" Spike agreed, still a little baffled by how his Slayer was behaving, "So bloody glad to have you back, luv, you don't know..."

"Ssh" she silenced him with a finger that hovered near his lips, "I do know. I know I've treated you worse than you deserved lately, when all you've tried to do is help me" she told him tearfully, "Things are going to change Spike, I swear. They'll be better"

Spike couldn't find words to answer her. His voice had a habit of deserting him since the beating he took anyway, and right now he wasn't sure how Buffy's words should be taken. It was her, the real her, and yet there was still something different about her, and a softness in her eyes as she looked down on him that he didn't recall ever seeing before. He wasn't about to argue with her though. She wanted to treat him better, that was fine by him.

Buffy smiled and cried at the same time as she looked down on a man she now felt she could maybe learn to love. Whatever happened from here on out she was determined to at least give him a chance. If this Spike could be half the man she'd encountered in the other dimension she knew she could get to like him an awful lot, maybe even love him like he professed to love her. That couldn't be a bad thing, it just couldn't.

* * *

"What was...?" Buffy frowned as she blinked hard a couple of times and looked down at the hand she'd reached out to the training room doorknob. Now there was no door in front of her, only space and then people - Wesley, Faith, Willow and Tara, and...

"Spike?" she said with tears in her eyes as she realised where she was and with whom. This was her world, her friends, and her boyfriend.

"Buffy" the vampire smiled as he realised the spell had worked, that this was the woman he loved. He had no time to say more as she threw herself into his embrace, crushing her lips to his in a passionate kiss.

"Good work, guys" Faith grinned as she realised her real sister-Slayer was back, there was no doubt about it at all.

"Wonderful" Wes nodded, attempting to take a step back and wobbling somewhat from the effects of the magick's he and his Wiccan friends had used. Faith's arm shot out to steady him and she smiled at her man. As well as being pretty hot, he really was one of the smartest guys she knew.

"God, I missed you" Spike told Buffy when they finally parted and she gasped in air.

"I missed you too" she smiled, and behind them Faith faked putting her fingers down her throat and vomiting. Willow gave her an unimpressed look but was smiling nevertheless. Even herself and Tara weren't quite so overly cute in public as the supposed evil vampire and mighty Slayer girl.

"So, looks like everything is back to normal" Xander commented as the reunited couple across the room resumed their kissing.

No sooner had the boy spoken than a loud smash was heard and the front window came crashing into the Magic Box, the pair of demons that had caused the damage lumbering in right after. Faith was the first person they came to, and catching her off-guard one of the giant creatures easily back-handed her out of the way. Her head caught the wall with an almighty smack and she was immediately knocked unconscious.

Wesley ran to his girlfriends aid, as Willow pressed her right hand flat to Tara's left and with a few well chosen words sprang up a barrier to keep the demons at bay. The expressions on their faces proved they were having problems holding them back and Spike was the first to go for the weapons cabinet, he was a little stunned to realise Buffy was right by his side.

"You sure you're up for this, luv?" he checked, after all she'd only just got back from wherever the hell she'd been, and she wasn't usually up for breaking evil heads so readily anyway.

"I'm a Slayer, Spike" she said with a smile and a nod, "I was born ready"

As the pair ran forward, Buffy ordered the barrier be dropped, and on her command her witch friends complied. The fighting couple put everything they had into the battle that faced them as the others stayed back, watching in awe at the way Buffy fought. They were used to seeing Spike do this, and Faith of course, but it was as if Buffy had suddenly found the Slayer within and she was letting it out full-force.

What perhaps surprised her friends most was the fact she was smiling as she fought, but then why shouldn't she? She was doing what she was born to do, at the side of the man she would love to the day she died. That couldn't be a bad thing, it just couldn't.

The End

**A/N2 : Yep, that's it, that's all she wrote! I really hope the ending didn't suck.  
****Oh, I may have a one-shot idea on a Christmassy Spuffy theme, but it depends if it develops into anything worth posting within the next week...**


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